Magic in Science
by SinSlash
Summary: During his 5th year, Harry runs through the veil after his godfather. Only... it doesn't work? However, Harry soon finds that nothing is quite what it seems... SLASH!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello. Sin here. To make things a bit clearer, I'm going to explain a bit about the timeline here. This story begins near the end of Harry's 5th year when he is 15 years old and a few years before the movie "Iron Man 1." Here is the order I'm using for the movies:

- Iron Man  
- The Incredible Hulk  
- Iron Man 2  
- Captain America (Steve Rogers is unfrozen)  
- Thor  
- The Avengers

Also, because I know it will be asked about, yes, this story will be slash, and no, it won't happen for a while, and no, I'm not certain who Harry will end up with. But, I think that's half the fun.

Now that that's out of the way, on to another matter. This story is in desperate need of a beta. At least half of the chapters that I've pre-written were done so while I had no access to internet, which means I couldn't check sources and fear that a lot of information is incorrect. More than that, those pesky spelling mistakes and grammar inconsistencies always sneak their way in. Not to mention that this story will be of epic length, and will need someone to help me keep all of the sub-plots, details and characterization in check. If you would like to apply, please send me a PM. I'm looking for someone dedicated to betaing with a grasp on not only the English language, but Harry Potter and Avengers (or rather, the hero's in it) lore.

Anyway, without further ado, please enjoy the story. And if you liked it or have something to comment on, leave a review.

* * *

My body ached. Pain tingled along every nerve ending of my body and a painful rattling sound, like someone kicking a tin can filled with rocks, sounded in my ears. As another wave washed over me, I realized it was _me _who exuded the sound. My vision blurred as I tried to take in my surroundings, but I was unable to. Everything appeared to be shrouded in a wispy fog, and with my pain addled mind, I wasn't able to understand why. I touched my face with trembling fingers and through the haze realized that my glasses had been removed from my face.

With great effort, I searched with my hand around me. I was laying on the ground, dirt and small bits of rock digging into my skin. At last, my hands collided with something thin and plastic. My glasses.

I placed them over my nose with some difficulty and the world returned into focus.

"Where…" I glanced around me in abject confusion, the gears in my sluggish brains turning and unable to connect the dots. On either side of me were dark stone walls, while above me a feeble ray of light shone down. There was a foul smell coming from a stack of black garbage bags further away from me.

My head throbbed as I sat up and placed a hand to my forehead. What was I doing here? Where even _was _here?

I tried to stand to my feet, but my legs were like rubber under me and I had to lean against the cold wall to find balance. My body was stiff, and even standing to my feet had exhausted more energy than I would have liked. Breath short and fast, I again tried to remember.

I knew who I was. Harry Potter. I was born to James and Lily Potter and I was fifteen years old. I could still recall the sordid affair that was my childhood and I knew that I had been saved from it when I turned eleven—when I found out that I was a wizard.

Wizard… Magic…

_The sounds of battle and pain. Bright lights soaring in every direction. It was loud. So loud. People were yelling and shouting, some in pain and others in exhilaration. _

_I ignored it all._

"_Sirius!"_

"_Harry, no!" Hands grabbed me, pulling me away from my destination. "You can't save him; he's fallen through the veil! He's d—"_

"_NO! Sirius is alive, I know he is!" I refused to believe it. I had experienced so much death already… I could not take another… No, I would not _allow _another. "Let! Me! Go!" A swift elbow to the gut of the owner of one holding me back drew a grunt of surprise from them._

_They released me and that was my plan. _

"_Harry, wait, no! Dammit! Stupefy!"_

_I heard the spell being cast and turned around just in time. I raised my wand."Protego Maximus!" A shield appeared around me and the spell fizzled off of it, like a balloon that had lost all of its air. I was in front of my destination. I could save him—I knew I could. I had to. "…I'm sorry, Remus…"_

"_Harry!"_

_I stepped backwards into the veil and darkness surrounded me._

I gasped. The veil… Sirius… Sirius!

I once more gazed around my surroundings, as if I expected Sirius to appear before me and bestow me with his signature grin. Only trash greeted me and my shoulders slumped.

As I leaned against the alleyway wall, I began to doubt. Had the veil even done anything? Before stepping through the veil, I had expected to arrive in the fiery wastelands of hell and had steeled myself with the thought that I didn't know what awaited me on the other side. Yet, this…?

At the edge of the alleyway, I could see humans—honest to goodness, normal human beings with two eyes, ears and a nose—walking by, not even glancing at me as they headed towards the destination. There was no mistaking it. This was a Muggle city, which meant that I hadn't been transported anywhere. The veil was a total dud…

A strained laugh bubbled from my throat. To be honest, I was glad. I had been prepared face demons and other unknown atrocities to get Sirius back, and now I wouldn't have to. With my mind at ease, I gave a jolt when I remembered something. The Department of Mysteries!

Ron, Hermione and the others were still there, fighting against Voldemort and the Death Eaters! Or… were they? I glanced again at the sky. It was darkened with clouds, but through the occasional breaks in the overcast, sunlight filtered through. When we had left Hogwarts for the Department of Mysteries, it had without a doubt been night time, which meant… time had passed.

For all I knew, I could have been in this alleyway for only a few hours, but it just as easily could have been days. I had no clue, but I hoped with all my being that everyone was okay. The last thing I remembered before Sirius falling was Dumbledore arriving at the scene, his old eyes burning with a quiet fury.

I felt my shoulders relax. Dumbledore would have protected my friends and his students with his all, of that I was certain. The old wizard was the strongest person I knew, and he had arrived with reinforcements. Surely that had been enough to turn the tides in their favor? Instead of fearing the worst, I decided that my next course of action would be getting back to Hogwarts so that I could learn for myself.

Since Sirius wasn't around, I assumed that to mean that he had already went back to inform the others that he was okay. If that was true then that meant that they knew where the veil lead to, and it would only be a matter of time before they pinpointed my location.

…Or, the veil had sent me and Sirius to different locations, and they had no idea where I was. Or worse, Sirius had been injured falling through the veil and was now alone in some remote part of the world, unable to receive help.

_Breathe_, I told myself when I could feel my heart rate rising and my breath quickening. I didn't know anything for certain. It wouldn't do to work myself into a pointless frenzy and then end up doing something stupid.

Sirius was fine. He had returned to Hogwarts and help would come for me soon as well. I had to let myself believe that everything was okay or I was sure to drive myself crazy.

Still, I wasn't one to sit idly by while I waited for people to do things for me. Also, it couldn't hurt to take a look around and try to pinpoint where I was. I was probably closer to Hogwarts or any other magical location then I realized.

While I thought, my headache had eased and my muscles relaxed, making it easier to move around. I pressed off against the wall I had been resting against and stretched, feeling my bones pop and muscles stretch as they begrudgingly settled into place.

I began heading toward the opening of the alleyway when I heard a low growling noise, like the purr of a vehicle engine. I thought nothing of it, assuming that it was just the distant rumbling of an oncoming storm. And then there was the distinct sound of gnashing teeth, so close to my ear that I released a cry of surprise and turned, so quickly that I fell backwards and landed on my arse. I expected there to be a great Cerberus standing behind me, but instead I found… nothing. Only empty air.

…It was official. I really was going crazy.

Sighing, I stood to my feet and dusted off my clothes. Trying to push the incident from my mind, I once more turned to leave.

_Grrrrrr… _

A shiver went down my spine and I turned. That hadn't sounding like thunder, and I know for a fact that I hadn't imagined it. There was something in this alleyway with me—something massive, from the sounds of it. And yet, as I scanned the alleyway, there was _nothing _and nowhere for a massive beast to hide. Did going through the veil have more side effects than just aches and pains? Or was this growling creature like a Thestral, hidden from the naked eye?

That thought made me gulp and search my body for my wand. Nothing. A cold tendril of ice began to coil through my chest, but I kept the creeping unease in check. I knew I had my wand with me when I fell through the veil, so it _had _to be somewhere nearby.

_Not if you lost it_, the chill that sought to overwhelm me whispered. _Not if you dropped it inside the veil or, like maybe Sirius, it was spat out into a lava pit and is gone forever._

I couldn't swallow past the lump in my throat. The growling had ceased, so I didn't think I was in any pressing danger, but without my wand, what would I do if the beast returned? What if—?

I shook my head. I was letting panic blind me. Was I or was I _not _a wizard? Thinking that, I peered into the shadowed hollows of the alleyway and whispered, "Lumos." The resulting glow was like the sun rending through black storm clouds.

It was hidden underneath some of the discarded items littering the alleyway and appeared unharmed. I let out a chuckle, half from relief and half from a lingering sense of _something _that itched at the very recesses of my mind.

I cast the ray of light from my wand around the filthy alleyway (I had done this plenty of times at home while reading late into the night, so I was certain that this level of magic wouldn't attract negative Ministry attention). Just as I had I expected, it was empty. But that still didn't rule out the possibility of something invisible or—I swung my wand upward toward the wall stopped short. There, graffitied onto the wall was a beast. It was big with shaggy black fur and bloodshot eyes. It was… a Grimm.

I blinked as I looked at it. In the dim alleyway, the black of its fur had seemed to meld into the wall, but that still didn't explain why it _growled_. I drew closer to the image and shined my wand into it more fully to get a better look. Its jaws were pulled back into a snarl and clutched in its massive teeth was a scrap of paper—no, a letter…

I stepped closer and illuminated the letter. It was a plain white envelope with words written on it in a looping scrawl. _To: Harry James Potter_.

I forgot to breathe. I looked both ways down the alley, expecting someone to be watching me from cover, because this _had _to be some kind of a prank, right? But no, I double and then _triple _checked, and there was no mistaking it. That was _my _name—my _full _name—written onto a letter clutched in the jaws of a Grimm… A Grimm… A giant black dog! Sirius! Sirius had left me a letter…?

With my free hand, I touched the cool stone wall where the image of the letter was imposed and gasped when the image rippled like the surface of a still pond. The letter disappeared from the drawing and materialized into the world where it drifted downward to land softly on the ground. I stared at it for a long moment before staring back at the picture of the Grimm—of Sirius.

It had changed. The dog was now sitting on its haunches with its teeth pulled back—this time resembling a smile. Its eyes were closed and I could see the cartoonish lines around its tail which symbolized that it was wagging.

This was clearly the work of Sirius and I found myself smiling.

Reassured, I picked up the letter off the ground and confirmed once more that it was indeed my name. Drawing in a quick breath, I undid the wax sealing the letter shut with my wand and took out the contents inside. Something fell out and made a small clinking sound as it hit the ground. I shined my wand on it and bent down to retrieve it.

It was a simple silver necklace with a snake entangling itself around a small emerald. I studied it for a moment, fascinated, before slipping the chain over my head and turning back to the letter. I was sure that the necklace's purpose would be explained within. My eyes scanned the words as I read.

_Dear Harry,_

_If you're reading this, then that means that you've either: A) Fallen through the veil in an unfortunate accident; or, the much more likely B) Followed me through the veil like the hippogriff-headed Gryffindor I know you are._

_Either way, it doesn't change the fact that you're here now, so I guess there is no reason for me to dwell on it. _

_It also means you managed to figure out the little puzzle I left for you. It was cute, right? Only someone in possession of magic would have been able to see and hear the Grimm, and I knew only you would come looking for me. _

_Because you're reading this, I'm guessing the veil dropped you off in the same place as me: in the middle of arsehole nowhere. As you're reading this letter, do not panic. Your old godfather put his noggin to work, and I think I came up with a solution for every possible problem you may have._

_First things first: you're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. Despite what you may think at first glance, this isn't the same world you know. If you're anything like me, you'll have thought that the veil was a total rip-off and that it didn't work. Well trust me, it does. _

_I'm not sure of the mechanics, but the veil transports you to a parallel world. _

I had to stop reading to raise my head in disbelief. _Parallel world_? I looked around me. Weren't parallel worlds supposed to be like… bizarro land where the sea is in the sky and people walk on their faces? So far, everything seemed relatively normal.

Shaking my head, I once more returned to the letter.

_To be more precise, there is one major difference from this world and the one we came from: magic does not exist—nor has it existed—on this world. No, I phrased that wrong…_

_Magic as we know it does not exist here. That means: no Hogwarts, no Diagon Alley, no Quidditch (this one really gutted me), and no wizards or witches. The wizarding world never came to be for there were never magic-folk to build it. If you really need to, check for yourself, but I know that you won't find anything._

_Don't worry. Anything that passes through the veil retains its magic, so you and anything you brought through the veil is unaffected—which if you've found this letter, you already know for yourself._

_There is so much more I want to tell you, Harry, but this damn pen is running out of ink. If only I had more… Bah. Oh well. _

_Remember how I said that I had all the solutions worked out? Well I wasn't winding you up. _

_Enclosed in the letter you should have found a necklace. I'm not an expert or anything, but I managed to convert it into a port key. It should take you to my general location… give or take a kilometer… or four. Again, don't panic. To activate it, just tap it with your wand twice and say, "Snuffles." It only has enough juice for one trip, so after you use it, it's just an ordinary piece of jewelry. But, hold onto it anyway, okay? Think of it as a present from your loveable old godfather._

_You should be in the general area of Long Island, New York in America. Find Stark Industries—it's impossible to miss, trust me. There, ask for Stark and tell him you're my godson, he should be able to take care of the rest._

_I'll see you soon, buddy._

_Love, _

_Padfoot _

I read the leader multiple times under the light of my wand as I tried to wrap my head around what I had just read. The veil was a… doorway to another world? A world without magic? Impossible…

Sirius had said that he wasn't trying to wind me up, but it was all just too far fetched. It seemed to fall apart at the very basics. How could magic send me to a place where magic didn't exist? Such a thing was _impossible_… wasn't it? A more plausible explanation was that this entire thing was just a joke.

Sirius had set this all up somehow—perhaps by using a time tuner—because he knew in the future that I would follow him through the veil and wanted to teach me a lesson. The port key was probably just that: a port key. Only, instead of taking me to across the pond all the way to New York, it would probably take me back to Hogwarts where everyone would be waiting to remind me of how much of an idiot I was.

With a fond smile on my face as I thought about returning to Hogwarts, I folded the letter and put it into my pocket. Then, I grasped the snake necklace Sirius had left for me and tapped it twice with my wand. "Snuffles."

The familiar, though unwanted, feeling of being hooked behind my navel was instant. And then I was falling and spinning just as I had gotten over the uncomfortable feeling of going through the veil.

I landed on my feet but stumbled before falling onto my hands and knees. I breathed deeply as I tried to settle my rolling stomach and swimming head. I would _never _get over how uncomfortable all forms of wizarding transportation was, no matter how many times I did it.

Once my vision was no longer spinning, I stood to my feet and looked around.

What. The. Bloody. Hell.

…This wasn't any room I had ever seen in Hogwarts.

It was dark, but I could make out the outline of various shelves and boxes which had collected dust from years of disuse. Sparse amounts of sunlight streamed in from grimy windows and spider webs clung to every surface. It appeared as if I was in some sort of abandoned warehouse or storage facility…

I walked over to one of the shelves and peered at its content; I once more cast Lumos for a better look. From what I could make out through the layers of grime, they appeared to be packaged toys of some sort. There were action figures, dolls, plastic wands and fake vomit. I looked through the boxes beside the shelves and it was more of the same.

Why would Sirius' port key take me here and not Hogwarts? Or Number 13 Grimmauld place? An unsettling feeling clawed at the back of my mind, but I refused to pay it any attention. This _had _to be an elaborate joke of some kind—the fact that Sirius would send me to an abandoned storage filled with toys just proved it.

"Sirius!" I bellowed into the empty building. My voice echoed back at me. "Okay, Sirius! You got me! Ha ha, the joke's on me! You can come out now!" I spun around in a slow circle, my wand shining over every surface as I waited for him to step out from behind a box with a 'gotcha.'

It never came.

"Please," I whispered to no one.

Unsettled when there was no response, I turned toward what I hoped to be the exit and practically sprinted toward it. My footsteps resounded in my ear, making it sound as though a specter followed me. A shiver ran down my spine and my jog turned into a full blown run. I burst out of the doorway like a hellhound was on my heels and was blinded by the sudden sunlight. I covered my eyes with my hand to shield them, sunspots dancing behind my eyelids.

After a few moments, I lowered my hand and took in my new surroundings. I could only gawk.

All around me were signs of a modern world. Tall sleek buildings which stretched as high as the eye could see, vehicles of all shapes and models I had never seen, traveling along the streets at a brisk pace. Civilians of all ages wandered by in a steady stream, some talking into small devices while others jabbed at similar devices with their fingers. High in the air, along the face of one building, a giant TV screen was fixed into place, and a woman wearing a red business suit spoke while a marquee of text rolled under her.

I swayed and fell on my arse. This was no joke.

I wasn't in Kansas anymore.

* * *

After nearly a full ten minutes, I managed to overcome my disbelief and began to move. With every step I took, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

It occurred to me that I could be in a coma. Maybe I _had _exited the veil—only now I was asleep in a medical ward somewhere and this was all in my head. But was that possible? Did people in a coma sometimes doubt if the world they were living in was a reality? And then there was the fact that my imagination was not this grandiose…

I hadn't watched much telly growing up and the books I read tended to lean more towards fantasy than sci-fi. And this new place I found myself in was definitely a place of science and technology. The contrast between the more medieval Diagon Alley of the wizarding world was almost appalling.

Whatever the case, I was _here _and it _felt _real so what could I do but take what I was experiencing at face value? I didn't know what was going on and I was still not quite ready to believe that I was in a different _world_. If I did, I wasn't sure if I would be able to press on.

As long as I continued to tell myself that I would eventually be able to find my way home, it battled back the dark thoughts in the back of my head which I feared would crush me.

One thing was for certain though: everything about this new place was _loud_. There was sound coming in from all around me. There were people talking; automobiles zoomed past and others honked in the distance; from below me I could hear the distant sound of what I assumed to be the subway train and from above planes whined as they flew past.

A small magazine stand situated on a street corner caught my eye. A bored looking man sat behind it reading one of the magazines. He didn't even spare a glance as I sidled up and began looking through the magazines, searching for—ah ha! The newspaper.

The headline caught my attention immediately: **Tony Stark Says New Weapon Will 'Change The Face of War!' **

Underneath the bolded letters was a photograph of a man with short black hair and sunglasses shaking hands with another bald-headed male. The black haired man was of average height and scruffy, and seemed to exude an aura of confidence even from the still picture. Under the photo read: _Left, Tony Stark; Right, James Mattyfran. _

I stared at the man in the photo, at Tony Stark, for a moment before reading the article.

_Tony Stark, current CEO of Stark industries announced today that the blueprints for his new weapon—the Jericho missile—has been finalized. When asked about the purpose of his latest invention, Mr. Stark had this to say:_

"_People like things to go boom. Well this will make things go boom _better_._"

_James Mattyfran…_

I stopped reading. Tony Stark was an inventor of weapons? Weapons that, from the sound of things, were to be used in warfare. A frown worked its way onto my face as I once more stared at the self-assured face of Tony Stark.

Sirius had written in his letter that this man would be able to help me… But help me in what way? I still didn't even know the relation between Tony Stark and Sirius.

Even if I _did _believe Sirius' letter—which I didn't, at least not one-hundred percent—what exactly could this man do for me? If there was no magic in this world, no _home _for me to even go back to—my chest clenched at this thought—then what would even be the point?

I sighed and removed my glasses to rub my eyes with my palm. All I had done today was think and theorize, and it was getting me nowhere. Without conscious thought, my eyes wandered over to the corner of the newspaper where the date was located. I did a double take, my eyes going wide.

"Excuse me," I said, trying to get the attention of the man behind the stand. "Um, this date—this is today's newspaper?"

The man raised an eyebrow and spared the newspaper I held up to him a cursory glance. "That's today's paper alright." Then he went back to his magazine.

I swallowed hard, the paper rattling as my hands shook. If the date on this newspaper was to be believed, then somehow, someway, I had gone more than ten years into the future. But that… that didn't make any sense! I struggled to hold in bitter, if not hysteric, laughter.

Nothing that had happened today made sense, and impossibility after impossibility was thrusted upon me. What was one more to add onto the list?

I took a calming breath and closed my eyes.

Okay. Calm down. Even if this _was _the future, that didn't change anything, right? Whether it was one-hundred years into the future or one-thousand into the past, if Sirius' letter was indeed the truth, then magic would still not exist. So there was no use for me to feel _anything _over this revelation.

When I return home—because I _would_ return, no matter what anyone said—it will be the correct year. Sirius will be there as well as Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna, and I will tell them about my _bizarre _adventures into the future of another world.

I laughed when I realized that I had begun to think as if this situation was _real_. …I didn't know anything for certain, but if I had no hope to latch on to, then my predicament really would have become hopeless.

Getting back on track, I returned the newspaper onto the rack and once more called to the stand worker. "Um, hello. Sorry to bother you again."

The man gave a long suffering sigh and folded his magazine closed before piercing me with an annoyed stare. "What?"

I gave an awkward cough and shuffled my feet. "Do you… do you know how to get to, um, Stark Industries?"

There was a quiet moment where we stared at each other, me waiting for him to respond and him… I did not know what he was waiting on. But seeing that he would not find it, he asked, "You're kidding, right?"

My eyebrows quirked upward before I frowned. "No?"

The man grumbled under his breath what sounded like "dirty tourists" and "pain in my ass" before he pointed a plump finger to his left. I followed the digit and felt my face redden.

Across the street and proclaiming for all to see in bold letters was a sign attached to the side of a grandiose building which read _'Stark Industries_.' This building was the tallest I had seen yet, and for a moment I wondered how I hadn't even noticed it until it had been pointed out to me.

Mumbling a quiet thank you, I absorbed myself into the passing crowd and shuffled much slower than I would have liked across the crosswalk. After what felt like an eternity, I was spit free of the crowd and stumbled a bit before retaining my footing.

I stood in front of the glass doors of Stark Industries. Outside stood a single security guard in full regalia, but it wasn't him which made me hesitate. It was again my damnable brain which refused to, for one moment, stop thinking.

This time I didn't listen. I could doubt and ponder and do enough mental gymnastics to convince myself of almost anything, but I would never know for sure unless I mustered my fleeting Gryffindor courage and met whatever awaited me inside head on. I walked with steady steps through the automatic doors and into the lobby inside.

The room was huge. The floors were done in a splendid marble and the walls seemed to be made of red oak wood. There were several photos and magazine clippings lining the wall—all of them having to do with Tony Stark in some shape or form. In the rightmost corner of the room was a crystalline table surrounded by sleek leather sofas. People were already sitting there and reading magazines as they waited on whatever business they had come to achieve. To the left was a counter, made of the same wood as the walls, and behind it sat a pretty blonde female wearing a headset.

I made my way over to the female who was typing away at the computer next to her. She ignored me for only a moment before turning away from the screen and bestowing me a curious look. "Can I help you?" she asked.

For a moment I didn't know what to say. I scratched my arm and looked anywhere but at the woman before me. "Er, is Mr. Tony Stark in?"

The woman tilted her head. "Do you have an appointment?"

I faltered. "…No."

"Then I'm sorry," she said with a shrug. "I can't allow you to see Mr. Stark."

"How would I go about getting an appointment?"

The blonde turned to the computer next to her and seemed to check a few things. "Kid, you're what… thirteen? Whatever big dreams you have about working with Tony Stark, just forget them." I stared at her. She sighed. "If you're serious about this, I can pencil you in for… four months from now?"

I blinked. "…Four months from now?"

The receptionist again shrugged, looking entirely unapologetic. "Mr. Stark is a very busy man. I'm sure you understand."

"Right," I said with a frown and looked toward the elevator. It was of course being guarded by another security worker, and what was more, I had already spotted a camera in the corner of the room, and there were who knew how many more littered about. It would be impossible to sneak in without my invisibility cloak, which I had unfortunately not thought to bring along with me when we had gone traipsing into the Department of Mysteries. The only other option was a Disillusionment Charm, which I had never learned to cast, thinking that my invisibility cloak would be more than enough. I was regretting that decision now.

With no other choices, I trudged out of the cool building back into the warm afternoon sun. I didn't know the time and didn't dare cast a spell to check in such a crowded environment. But, front the sun's high position in the sky, I concluded that it was at least two PM.

I couldn't go to Stark, so I would instead wait for him to come to me. He would have to leave the building eventually, wouldn't he? And when he did I would be waiting.

At first I had been content to sit out in front of the Stark Industries building, but as the minutes turned to hours and no sign of Stark was forthcoming, I had instead went back to the magazine stand across the street and perused to my liking.

The stand owner only gave me a raised brow when he saw me wander back, but said nothing as I picked up a gossip magazine and began to read.

I learned _a lot _about Tony Stark in those few hours. In every magazine I read, there he was—and there was more bad said about him than good. Every story seemed to either be praising Tony Stark for his wild behavior or condemning him for it. I didn't know how much of it was true or which side to believe, but for someone to be so centered in the public eye… It couldn't be easy. If there was one thing I wouldn't miss from the Wizarding World, it would be my daily life being public knowledge.

As the sun began to set and it became too dark to read, I began giving up hope that I would be meeting Tony Stark at all. I had nowhere to go and my empty stomach was growling in outrage, as I hadn't eaten in near twenty-four hours.

I was frowning down at the ground, lost in thought when I felt someone bump into me from behind. I stumbled forward and sent a glare toward the retreating back of my assailant, who did not slow down or even glance backwards as he hurried away.

"Watch where you're going!" I growled at his back, annoyance from hunger, heat and exhaustion making my teeth gnash.

I turned back to glance across the street and froze when I saw a man with messy black hair appear. He was wearing a sleek grey business suit with the jacket slung across his shoulder. The man had a swagger that was palpable even from a distance, and I knew without a doubt that this was the man I had spent hours staring at in photos—Tony Stark.

Tony was talking to the blonde receptionist as they both exited together. The girl seemed to be eating up whatever story the man was telling, her finger twirling a curl of her hair and clear adoration shining in her eyes.

I crossed the street and arrived just in time to hear the tail end of their exchange.

"—me sometime, okay?" the receptionist said, still twirling her hair.

Tony gave her a heart melting grin and bowed. "Of course."

The girl giggled before practically skipping off back into the building, throwing glances over her shoulder.

The weapon's inventor watched her go before turning and noticing me. I froze as if I had been trying to sneak through the dark and someone turned on the light. I didn't know why, but my heart beat a crescendo against my ribcage and my hands had begun to sweat.

I tried to swallow with a dry throat. "S-Stark?" I questioned, even though I knew who he was.

The man just gave me a disinterested once over. "You want an autograph, right? Just hand over whatever you want me to sign—actually, don't. I don't like being handed things. Just drop it on the ground and kick it to me. No, wait. I'll just do this." Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He patted his body for a moment and let out a triumphant cry when he revealed a pen.

"What's your name kid?"

I licked my lips, too petrified to even be insulted that he thought I wanted his autograph. "Harry Potter… "

Stark seemed to tense the slightest bit. He relaxed within moments and his eyes scanned me. His eyes landed on my scar and stayed there for a moment longer than necessary before looking me in the eye.

"Who are you?"

Confused by his reaction, I said again, "Harry Potter."

I could see the annoyance and doubt flicker across his face. "Look kid, I don't have time for this. My limo just pulled up and I have an appointment to make. Do you want the autograph or not?"

Tony Stark had recognized me; that much was obvious. His eyes had gone to the scar on my forehead in a reaction I had seen many times—yet he seemed to doubt who I said I was. "My name is Harry Potter," I told him with a frown. "I think you knew my godfather, Sirius Black."

The response was instant. Emotions flickered across Stark's face, too quick for me to place before his expression settled on neutral, but there was a chill in his eyes that made me take a small step back. "You must take me for a fool," he said. "Do you know how many people a week claim to be my long lost relative, looking for a quick buck? Go on, guess."

My eyes were wide in shock. I opened my mouth to tell him that he was getting the wrong idea, but he continued over me.

"Hundreds. That's how many. They dig up whatever they can about my past and come up with the most elaborate back stories you've ever heard. A long lost brother. My uncle's cousin's brother. You name it, I've heard it. But you…" Tony frowned. "You're the first ever claimed to be Sirius Black's godson. I have to hand it to you though; you almost had me with that scar on your forehead! That was a nice touch." Stark walked up to me and bent so we were near eye level, his focus on my forehead. We were so close that as I looked up at him, his breath misted the lens of my glasses.

"What is that anyway?" he continued, on a roll. "It doesn't even look real. What did you use, magic marker?" As if to prove his theory, Tony wetted his thumb with his mouth and then rubbed my scar, as if trying to clean it away.

I let him, my face screwing as he pressed harder than necessary against my forehead. He was like me in a way—he needed absolute proof before he was convinced of anything.

"It… won't come off… And it's so rigid… almost… like a… real…" He trailed off, his brain seeming to shut down as he came to the only logical conclusion. I stared at him with a raised eyebrow. Tony stepped back and gaped, his eyes wide. "You're… Sirius' godson?" I nodded. "Really?" I nodded again. "Really, really?"

"Yes, really!" I sighed, rubbing at my forehead.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. "When is your birthday?"

I opened my mouth, ready to reply with the truth when I stopped short. If I said I was born in 1980, it would be obvious that I wasn't the correct age. I tried to do the maths in my head to get the corrected date, but the damage had already been done.

Tony's eyes had steeled and I could tell that I had lost whatever ground I had gained.

"Please," I said instead, changing gears, "just call Sirius and he'll explain…" I trailed off into silence. If possible, Stark's eyes had gone from cool to a full-fledged blizzard. I didn't understand what I had said that seemed to invoked such a response.

"You people," Tony began, voice quiet and with a razor sharp edge, "are lower than dirt."

I felt as if I had been slapped and I once again swallowed, a cold feeling settling in my chest. "…Where is Sirius?"

His response was simple and brooked no argument. "Dead."

My entire world cracked and I swayed on my feet, my surroundings seeming to settle into a haze. It took all of my effort to hold it together and remain on my feet, no matter how much I wanted to break down. "N-No…" I croaked out, shaking my head in denial. "Sirius is…" Stark's glare made me want to crawl into a hole and die. "Sirius is alive…" I said more to myself than to Stark. "He _has _to be! I came all this way for him…" My vision blurred as tears gathered. "…All this way…"

The man standing before me had no pity. "I'd really like to stay and continue this farce, but I really have a premier to get to." Stark stepped around me and headed toward the sleek black limousine that had arrived during the course of our conversation.

"W-Wait…" I called, my voice weak. Stark stopped with his hand on the door to the vehicle but didn't turn to me. I sniffed and drew in a few breaths to calm myself. "How… how did he…"

"Why should I tell you anything?" he asked, glaring at me over his shoulder. "In fact, why am I even _indulging _this? I should call security and have you—"

"Please!" I begged, wiping my eyes with the back of my hands. "I promise I'll leave you alone if you just tell me h-how… how he..."

There was a tense moment as we stared at each other. The iciness in Tony's eyes was still there, but it seemed to have lost a bit of its chill. With a sigh, the man turned around and rested against the door to the limo, his arms folded across his chest. "Look, I don't know if he's _dead _but he might as well be," Stark said as he ran a hand through his hair. "Around twenty years ago, he just… he just disappeared without a trace. Poof. Gone. I've looked, but there are no records of the Sirius Black I knew having ever even existed."

This time I did fall to my knees in shock.

"Hey," Stark called out, a hint of panic in his voice, "…you okay?"

"Is everything alright, Tony?"

"Yeah, we're fine, Happy—just give us some space, okay?"

I wasn't even paying attention to the happenings around me.

"Twenty years ago…" I repeated, my eyes staring at nothing.

Twenty years ago.

_Twenty years ago._

Sirius had been missing… for twenty years? How…? We had gone through the veil around the same time period… It had only been the difference of seconds, the time between when Sirius entered the veil and the time when I entered the veil. It was less than a minute's difference, of that I was positive.

…Had it been twenty seconds? Had twenty seconds cost me my chance at reuniting with my godfather? Twenty measly bloody seconds…

If only Remus hadn't held me back. If not for the werewolf, I would have followed after Sirius immediately and the difference would have been miniscule. Ten seconds perhaps? Would that have translated to a ten year gap, instead of the current twenty plus?

Would I have been able to reunite with my godfather had I _only _been quicker? A mere twenty seconds quicker?

It was too much. It was all just too much…

Before I could stop it, the flood gates I had tried so desperately to keep closed burst forth, and everything I had been doing my damndest to suppress rose up with a vengeance. All of it. My fear of Voldemort and what he would to the world while I wasn't there to fight him, the loss of my friends, the loss of my home, the loss of my _family_.

I had thrown away so much for Sirius, only to come to learn that it had all been for naught. I had lost Sirius not once, but _twice_. And this time, there was no portal for me to fall through for another chance.

This time, it was for certain.

So, I wept without reservation. I cried and screamed and cursed until my throat was sore from the force of it, and still it was not enough. It would _never _be enough. I had _nothing_ but grief, and I was drowning in it.

I _wanted _to drown in it. I wanted it to drag me into its depth and to suffocate. I just wanted everything to be _over_.

Through the fog, I could hear a voice speaking. "H-Hey… don't cry... I don't like it when people cry either."

I felt a warm hand touch my shoulder but I refused to be comforted. I slapped the hand away, but they would not be swayed. I was drawn into a chest and could hear the steady beating of a heart. I struggled against the chest, clawing, hitting and even biting, but they endured with muffled curses.

When I had finally drained myself to the point of exhaustion from my tears and struggling, everything hit me all at once. My hunger, my fatigue, my grief. My brain simply could not handle it, so it did the only thing it could.

It shut down and I fell into blissful unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was the smell of food which managed to drag me from my slumber. My stomach gave a mighty roar and I groaned, the aroma of the food divine but the knowledge that I would continue to starve unbearable.

I snuggled deeper into my bed, prepared to try to sleep my hunger pains away when my eyes flew open and I sat up in bed.

For one wild, hopeful moment, I thought that I was back in Hogwarts. Even waking up at the Dursley's would have been a welcome blessing at this point. But it was not to be.

The room I woke up in was large, but mostly empty. To the left of me was a window with the curtains drawn. I opened the curtains and was greeted to the sight of the sun rising over the city's horizon. I took a moment to appreciate the view before panic began to sink in.

Where was I? How did I get here? Was I in any danger?

My hand reached for my wand and I felt more at ease when I found it. I stood to my feet. Someone had removed my shoes while I slept and my steps made nary a sound as I tread along the carpeted floor. The door to the room I had slept in was open and I peeked out of it into the hallway.

The hallway was short with only two other doors; one across from me and another at the furthest end of the hall. I decided to check each door. The first led to a bathroom while the other opened to a well stocked supply closet.

That left only one place for me to check. On the western side of the hallway, it opened up into a grand living area. There was a leather sofa situated in front of a glass coffee table. Mounted against the wall was a large flat screen TV. Behind the sofa was a bookshelf and they mostly seemed to be comprised of textbooks. I checked the title of each briefly before moving on.

"Good. You're up."

I turned toward the voice. It was Tony. I didn't know what to say—so I said nothing.

Tony gestured with his head behind him. "My assistant brought something to eat," he said, turning and disappearing into another room, "and I figured you'd be hungry after stalking me outside my office all day yesterday."

"I wasn't stalking you," I muttered, following Tony in what was revealed to be the kitchen. I stopped in the doorway as the full weight of what he said registered in my brain.

He knew I was there the whole time?

Tony was already sitting at the table where a paper bag was open in front of him. He began unloading the contents but stopped to look up at me. "You don't want anything?"

My stomach answered that question for me. I walked over to the table and sat down. Tony placed a Styrofoam tray in front of me and placed a plastic knife and fork on top of it before doing the same for himself. The man opened up whatever it was he had gotten and gave an appreciative hum.

"Mm, good old American fast food."

I opened my tray as well and my mouth began to salivate from the sights and the smells. It was a veritable smorgasbord. There were pancakes, sausages, hash browns and scones. Stark had already begun to stuff himself, but I held off, biting my lip.

After a moment, he noticed and raised a brow at me. "You don't like pancakes?"

"It's not that," I said immediately, not wanting to seem unappreciative. "…It's just… Thank you…"

Tony wiped his face with a napkin and stared at me for a moment. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not saying I believe your story, but after you passed out, I couldn't just leave you on the street."

I lowered my eyes onto the table at the reminder of my little break down yesterday. "About that… I'm sorry. It was just—"

"We can talk later," Tony said, waving me away. "For now, eat."

My stomach had no qualms with that idea, so I picked up my fork and dove in. It tasted as delicious as it smelled. It had been near twenty-four hours since I had last ate, so I was ravenous, my food barely swallowed before I moved on to the next. Good old American fast food, indeed.

After only a few minutes, my entire tray was polished off and I sat back with a satisfied groan. My stomach was full to bursting and I was regretting having eaten so much, but while the food was not only heaven, I didn't know when next I would eat.

I looked up, and Stark was staring at me with both confusion and amusement. Embarrassed, I took my own napkin and wiped at my mouth, sure that I had gotten something stuck on it. When the napkin came away relatively clean and the man was still staring at me, I drew up in my seat, automatically on the defensive.

"What?"

Stark shrugged, but didn't look away. "I'm just wondering where it all went considering you're so small."

I scowled.

"Come on," Stark continued, "you gotta admit—you're pocket sized. I feel like you'd fit perfectly in some Stepford wife's purse."

I was growing increasingly annoyed but I kept my lips pressed tight. I was in the man's house after all. He had just fed me breakfast and had let me sleep in his bed. I had read through the gossip magazines how Tony Stark was a bit of a jokester, so I was sure that this was just how he was and he was not _purposefully _trying to antagonize me.

"Don't look so down!" he said. "Well… I guess that would be difficult considering your height…"

But that didn't mean I had to take it. "Why are you being such a wanker?"

His eyebrow rose. "Well, I'd assume you're a bit of a wanker too, aren't you? You look about the right age to have discovered the art."

I rose to my feet, the chair I had been sitting in scraping across the tiled floor. My face was red from fury and embarrassment and it took all of my effort not to brandish my wand and hex this man to the ends of the earth.

"W-What is wrong with you?" I managed to sputter out. "How can anyone be such a pompous bastard! Thanks for the food and the place to sleep, but I'm out of here."

What had Sirius been thinking, sending me to this man? Tony Stark was a grade-A arsehole, and everything I had read about him had apparently been true. I had never been in the presence of someone so unpleasant since the likes of Draco Malfoy or Severus Snape.

"Sit down." Stark's voice was calm and quiet, but held a firm grip of authority. It only served to make me even more indignant.

"Why? So you can insult me more? Thanks, but I'm not one of your simpering fans who'll just lie down and take the abuse!"

"I know," he said, for a moment making me falter. "I wanted to see how much you were willing to endure before you snapped. If you were a 'simpering fan', as you put it, you would have let me continue to run over you. But you didn't, so take a seat."

I hesitated. I looked Stark in the eye and he returned the stare. His eyes were even and serious, no trace of the previous jerkassness evident. I returned to my seat slowly, never breaking eye contact from the man across from me as I did so.

"You wanted to talk, so talk," I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

Tony rubbed a hand across his stubbled chin. "While you were sleeping, I tapped every source I could think of on the birth of any 'Harry Potter' born over the last thirty years—hell, I even tried variations of the name: 'Hary' with one 'R', 'Harri' ending with an 'I'. You name it, I tried it. And you know what I found?" The man stared at me, and I shifted uncomfortable in my seat, the food in my stomach settling like lead.

From the look in his eyes, he and I both already knew the answer. Still, I choked out, "What?"

"You don't exist." A shiver ran down my spine as Stark seemed to stare right _through _me. "So tell me, what is your name?"

I was intimidated, but I saw no reason to lie so I lifted my chin and spoke, "Harry James Potter."

Stark frowned. Apparently he hadn't expected me to stick to my story. "Who are your parents?"

I hesitated for a brief moment. "James and Lily Potter."

"And where are they now?"

"…They're dead," I said, feeling my heart clench the slightest bit. "They died when I was just a baby. I live… _lived_ with my relatives."

Tony's eyebrow creased. "You don't anymore?"

I could only shake my head. If there was one thing I could count as a positive of this whole mess was that I would never have to return to the Dursleys. Yet, at the same time, it only hammered in the fact that there really was no one I could turn to. Not anymore.

It was a sobering thought.

"So who is your guardian now?" I remained silent. "Don't you have anyone…? A family member, a friend, anything?"

My face darkened and I stared down at the table.

"Ah, geez," Tony sighed. "You've put me in a bad spot here, kid..."

"I'm not looking for handouts," I assured him quickly. "That's not my intentions. I… I just… I just want to find my godfather."

"There's one thing I don't get," Tony said. "You claim to be the godson of Sirius Black, but if you're only fifteen, then it's impossible."

My mouth opened and then closed. I stared down at the table as my brows furrowed. "Sirius didn't tell you anything? About where he came from?"

"No. I only knew him as a kid growing up. The one he was close to was my father."

I lifted my head in shock, the realization striking me like a bolt of lightning. It was Tony's _father _whom Sirius had been referring to in his letter. It made sense, since Tony would have only been a child when Sirius appeared.

I had dug myself into a hole that was now impossible to get out of. In this world, Sirius disappeared over twenty years ago, which meant that the me of this world would have never seen him. Unless of course I had lied and said that Sirius had briefly resurfaced before once more disappearing.

Too bad I hadn't had that information until now.

"Where is your father now?" I questioned, needing to speak to the elder Stark. _He _was the one who could help me, and maybe he would know what had become of Sirius as well. I felt hope blossoming in my chest.

"Kicked the bucket ages ago."

Only for it to deflate into nothingness, once more sending me crashing down into reality. It seemed as if fate was working against me; I couldn't even take a step forward because my every avenue had already been sealed off.

"You still haven't answered the question," Tony said, making me once more look at him.

I didn't answer because I _couldn't_. Well, I could, but I didn't know if it was a good idea. I didn't care if Tony thought I was crazy; what I was concerned about was what would happen if he _did _believe me.

Magic didn't exist in this world and Tony was a manufacture of weapons. If he thought that he could perhaps use magic to make new weapons, I didn't know what he would do. He might have me shipped away to be dissected or who knew what else. This world was a mystery to me, so I didn't know what it or the people who inhabited it were capable of.

"I can't," I said at last, shaking my head. Tony seemed accepting of that response, probably because he thought that I was lying. "At least not yet," I added, wanting him to know that I _could_. "Not until I know if I can trust you or not."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "I think you have it backwards, kid. It's not a matter of whether or not you can trust me; it's a matter of whether or not you can make me believe anything you have to say."

I sighed. "I know that… but on this, we'll just have to trust each other." He didn't respond, but I could tell from the way he shook his head that he didn't agree.

"Whatever, your identity isn't important. You stood outside my company all day yesterday—don't look so surprised, my office has windows, you know—and all I want to know is: what _do_ you want from me?"

Now wasn't that just the million pound question. What did I want from Tony Stark? Nothing. What did I _want_? I wanted to go home. I wanted to see Sirius again. I wanted Voldemort to have never existed so my life wouldn't turn to shite. I _wanted _a lot of things.

But Tony Stark couldn't give them to me.

"Nothing," I said, my voice low and defeated. "I don't want anything from you."

Silence from Tony. And then, "Nothing…? You come to _my _doorstep, bring up all this… this bullshit from my past I would rather forget, you tell me you have no one to take care of you, and in the end, after all that… it was for _nothing_?" Tony shook his head. "Not buying it, try again."

"It was a misunderstanding," I muttered. "I got a letter from Sirius that told me to find 'Stark' and I thought it was you, but it wasn't, so just get off my back, alright? I want to be here even less than you, but I don't have a bloody choice…" My eyes watered and I rubbed at them viciously.

I had done enough crying for a lifetime and tears would not solve anything. Tony seemed surprised by my response, but after a moment, his eyes drew together in consideration.

"You received a letter from Sirius Black? When?"

"Yesterday, but it was old… Very old. I think he wrote it long before he disappeared."

"And where is it now?"

I looked at Tony and then down at the table. If I showed him the letter then he would know that Sirius and I had been wizards. "I threw it away."

"You threw it away…" Tony repeated, his voice flat.

I could only respond with a shrug. Then, I remembered something else that had been enclosed in the letter and I straightened. Reaching into the front of my shirt, I revealed the necklace port key that Sirius had prepared for me. The silver snake seemed to gleam in the dim morning light.

"Sirius also gave me this necklace with the letter," I explained at Tony's bland look. "Does it mean anything to you?"

The man leaned forward in his seat for a better glance, his eyes seeming to glow as the emerald in the necklace reflected in them. Tony's eyes widened the slightest bit and he drew in a quiet breath.

"That necklace… Sirius used to wear it all the time, but… but that jewel…" He trailed off with a frown.

My eyebrows rose into my hairline as my fingers rubbed across the head of the silver snake. "This belonged to Sirius? I thought it was just something he had picked out for me as a gift…" My voice was filled with wonder as I gazed at one of the last remaining relics from my godfather.

"He loved that necklace," Tony explained, voice low with sentiment, "he used to always fiddle with it—much like you're doing now." I smiled. "One day though, I noticed he wasn't wearing it anymore and questioned him about it. I had always been entranced by it and how it always seemed to shine no matter the lighting. Sirius had looked surprised for a moment and then said he loaned it to someone important. I never asked who, and I never saw that necklace again… until now."

I gazed down at the necklace, trying to remember if Sirius had owned such a possession in _our _world, but I couldn't recall. He may have just been wearing it in the battle at the Department of Mysteries, but that seemed garish, to dress up for a battle. Sirius was a showoff, but I didn't think he would go that far.

"A lot about this doesn't make sense," Tony said, drawing me from my thoughts. "_You _don't make sense."

"Thanks," I drawled. But I wasn't offended. Tony was right; a lot about this _was _confusing. And while I had some answers, Tony had none. He was even more in the dark then I was.

Suddenly, Tony slapped his forehead, making me look at him in confusion. "Obi!"

I stared. Was this some sort of twenty-first century ritual that I wasn't getting? "Obi?"

"Obadiah. He worked with my dad for a long time and became my mentor after my old man died. My dad and Sirius were close, so I'm sure Obadiah and he have met at some point."

That blasted emotion called hope was once more clawing from the chasms of previous disappoints to knock on the door to my heart. But did I let it in? Could there _finally _be a lead to finding out what had happened to Sirius? If this Obadiah person and Sirius had been friends, maybe he would know something that could help.

"Where is he now?" I asked, trying and failing to contain my excitement.

"Here, in town. He's the one who handles all the boring day to day going-ons of Stark Industries while I'm off doing, well… the fun stuff. The only time I'm ever even here is when Obi wants to parade me around in front of the company board or for me to smile in front of an audience. Can't let the people forget the face of the company after all. …Who am I kidding; no one could forget this face." Tony turned toward the nearest reflective surface. "I mean look at me, I'm gorgeous."

I stared, deadpan. This man really was full of himself. He had fine tuned the art of being conceited to a science.

"When you're done staring at yourself, can we go see this mentor of yours?"

Tony turned away from his reflection with a frown. "What's the rush? It's only—" Tony checked his watch. "—Ten o'clock. Wow. Time flies when you're interrogating mysterious teenagers from the past."

I gaped as Tony stood to his feet and looked me up and down. "But we can't have you going out in public dressed like _that_."

I looked down at my own clothes. I was wearing a T-shirt, blue jeans and worn trainers. I thought I looked fine.

"There's a bathroom across from your room. Hop in the shower and I'll have clothes waiting for you when you get out." With that, Tony walked out of the room. I stood there, still trying to wrap my head around what had just happened. "By the way," Tony said, head popping back into the open doorway. He had one of those tiny portable phones attached to the side of his head and appeared a bit sheepish, "what size are you?"

In a daze, I told him and Tony once more disappeared. After what felt like minutes, I burst into laughter. In that one moment, the man had reminded me a lot of Sirius, and the thought was bittersweet. With a sigh, I stood and disposed of our finished breakfast in the nearby waste bin before heading off to the bathroom.

* * *

After the shower, which had been one of the more refreshing experiences in my life, I dried and tied a towel around my waist. I looked down at my discarded clothing and, confused as to what I should do with them, gathered them in my arms and walked across the hall to the room I had slept in.

On the bed were the promised clothes and I shut the door behind me. As I walked over to the outfit provided for me, I felt my heart plummeting into my stomach.

It was a smart-looking two piece suit, complete with tie and cufflinks. He had even gotten me a new pair of loafers to complete the look.

I had never worn a suit in my life, so it felt like a bit too much. But I didn't want to appear rude and the thought of spending another day in my previous clothes were just as undesirable. With a heavy sigh, I began to get dressed.

The suit consisted of a white collared shirt, a black button up jacket, and black trousers. The loafers were the same color, and fit my feet perfectly despite the fact that I hadn't given Tony my shoe size. I managed to secure the simple silver cufflinks with some trouble, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to tie the stupid black tie.

There was a knock on the closed door, offering a reprieve from the frustrating bit of fabric that I was considering using as a noose to hang myself. "Come in," I said, not turning away from the full length mirror where I was standing.

The door opened and Tony appeared in the mirror's reflection behind me. Tony was now wearing a pair of sunglasses and he stroked his chin as he considered me.

"Not bad," he said. "Where's the tie?"

I turned away from the mirror to face the man and held it up for him to see. "Do I really need this? The bloody thing is a menace."

Tony chuckled and told me to hand him the tie and turn around. I did so. I looked into the mirror as Tony walked up behind me, and I could feel the heat of him behind me as well. He draped the tie around my neck and adjusted it so the two ends were even.

"The key," Tony began, holding up the two ends, "is to begin as if you were tying a bow."

He demonstrated, the entire thing feeling strangely intimate. I did my best to ignore the feeling and instead tried to focus on Tony's hands in the mirror as he tied my tie.

He had to repeat the process twice before I was finally able to do it on my own and grinned into the mirror. Behind me, Tony adjusted the tie so that it was straight and then stepped back. After a moment, he nodded.

"Now you look like a proper British gent," he said, doing a faux accent. "Pip, pip, cheerio."

I inspected myself and had to admit, I did look rather dapper. But at the same time, it was weird, seeing myself look so well groomed. I was so used to looking like a vagabond that I felt as if the other person staring back at me from the mirror was a stranger.

Turning away, I looked at my old discarded clothes. Tony saw my gaze and waved it away.

"Don't worry about those. I'll burn them for you." At my horrified look, Tony raised his hands. "I'm kidding. I'll have my assistant wash them and get them back to you."

I bit my lip and looked away. "Um, I can't pay you… For the suit or the food or any of it."

"Have you forgotten who I am? Well let me remind you, because I love telling people. I'm Tony Stark, billionaire, philanthropist, entrepreneur, playboy, a god amongst men—need I go on? Because I can."

"No!" I said quickly. "No. I got it."

"Good. Now let's go, our ride's waiting downstairs."

* * *

Tony's car was sleek and black and blinded me as it reflected the sunlight. I didn't know anything about cars, but Tony told me that it was an 'Audi S4' as I slipped into the passenger seat. He rattled off more info about the 'horsepower' and 'four-wheel drive' and other technical jargon that went in one ear and out the other.

The inside of the car was as well taken care of as the outside. There was a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs on the dashboard which Tony quickly swiped away and put inside the glove compartment. I didn't even want to know and instead turned to look out the window as Tony started up the car and we were off.

The residents of Long Island, New York seemed slow and drowsy as they shuffled along the sidewalks to their destinations. Now that I wasn't consumed by wonder and dread, the city didn't look as sleek or futuristic as it once had.

Sure the buildings were taller and more grandiose, and the signs all seemed to consist of brightly flashing electronic lights, but other than that it seemed to be like any other city I had seen in England.

"We're here," he announced.

As I looked around, I had expected to see busy streets and the looming tower that was Stark Industries. Instead, we appeared to be in an underground car park.

I glanced at Tony in confusion. "Where are we?"

"Employee parking garage," Tony said, opening his car door and stepping outside.

Tony was busy adjusting his appearance in the rearview mirror. At last he straightened and adjusted his tie. I smoothed down my clothes as well, suddenly very nervous at the thought of parading around in front of strangers while wearing this suit.

I felt a bit like a posh dick.

"Relax," Tony said, placing a companionable arm around my shoulders and forcing me to walk. "You look classy. And being seen with me, you could be wearing a trash bag and you'd still be hailed as a fashion guru."

I scowled. "If that was supposed to make me feel better, it didn't."

Tony shrugged, for a moment our echoing footsteps the only sound in the abandoned park. We reached a set of metallic doors and Tony took out a card which he swiped across a panel on the side. After a few moments, the doors opened and we both stepped in.

The ride up was uneventful and smooth as silk, but I was growing more and more apprehensive by the second, this time about meeting Obadiah. Would he have information about Sirius? Or anything useful, like how I could go home? Or would it be another dead end, sending me crashing face first back onto square one.

The doors swung open and I took in a calming breath.

Tony led the way down the hallway whose walls were so clinical that I felt as if I were in a hospital towards a pair of mahogany doors. Without even knocking, Tony burst in. I hesitated a minute in the threshold before following.

Inside the office, the clinically white walls were replaced with a softer, reddish-brown wood. Off to one wall was a bookcase filled with books, binders and papers, and next to it sat a plant with a violet color I had never seen before. The backmost wall was non-existent, it its place a massive window which offered an impressive view of the city below. In front of the window was a sleek Oakwood desk that was bent in a U-shape towards the window. On top of it there was a computer, papers, and other knickknacks which belonged to the owner.

The man, whom I assumed to be the touted Obadiah, was reclined in a black-leathered office chair with his feet propped onto his table. He was a bald-headed man with hard and jagged face trimmed with a grey beard. Still, his face lit up with a smile when he saw Tony.

He was talking to someone using one of those curious phones that were more of an ear piece, and he held up a finger in the universal gesture for 'one second' as he continued to talk.

"Ben. Ben! I'm gonna call you back. No, Ben—yeah. Uh huh." Obadiah rolled his eyes towards us. "Yeah. Of course. Goodbye, Ben!" Obadiah touched the instrument on his ear and stood to his feet, his arms stretched wide.

"Tony! We missed you last night at the premier; I was worried." Tony walked over and the two shared a masculine hug.

"Not worried enough to call," Tony replied, giving the man a knowing look. Obadiah appeared unapologetic and the two grin as something quiet and familiar passed between them. "But the reason I wasn't there—because you _know_ how much I wanted to be there—" At this he turned to me and shook his head no. "—was because of this little guy over here. Harry Potter, meet my friend and mentor, Obadiah Stone. Obi, Harry Potter."

Obadiah had a frown on his face as he walked over and shook my hand. He had a strong grip and my entire arm rattled as he gave it a good shake.

"Nice to meet you," I said, my voice low.

"Likewise," Obadiah said, before stepping back and eyeing me for a moment. "Harry Potter," the man intoned, as if testing the name. He turned to look at Tony and crossed his arms across his chest. "Why does that sound so familiar…?"

Tony looked at me before turning back to his mentor. "Do you remember Sirius Black?"

A grey eyebrow lifted. "Of course I remember the bastard. Why?"

Tony gave an awkward cough and a slight shake of his head. I wasn't offended—I knew that Sirius could rub people the wrong way and that while he could be fun and lovable, he could be an absolute prat as well.

"Well," Tony began, "this is his—well he says he is." Tony sighed. "This is Sirius' godson."

Obadiah's eyes widened and he turned to me with new interest. There was a spark of something foreign in his eye. "You don't say…"

I chose that moment to step in. "Sir, um… Mr. Stone. Did you… did you know my godfather?"

With a sigh, the man walked over to a nearby cabinet and picked up what I assumed to be a bottle of alcohol. "Yeah, I knew him," he said, picking up three small glasses with one hand while he held the bottle with the other. He carried the items to his desk and then set them down. "You fellas don't mind if I drink, do you?" He didn't wait for anyone to answer and instead poured an amber liquid into the glasses. Obadiah handed a drink to Tony and then made to hand one to me before pausing.

"…Are you old enough to drink?"

I raised an eyebrow. "It's legal in Britain."

Shrugging, the man placed the drink in my hand. I took a sip of it and grimaced, the alcohol burning a trail down my throat. I glanced over at Tony and the man seemed to be trying to hide a smile behind his own glass.

Taking that as a slight challenge, I took another sip of my drink, a larger one this time, and managed to swallow it down with nary a twitch. My eyes watered for my efforts and my stomach gave a slight lurch, but I considered it a silent victory all the same.

"I still remember the day I met old Sirius. Me and Tony's father, Howard, were on a business trip across the Atlantic. We were younger then, Howard and I. Boy's really." Obadiah's eyes seemed to mist over as he became lost in the thought. "We went out, looking for a good time, when we came across this bar with a sign out front that said: 'Come see Sirius the Great! The greatest magician the world has ever known.'"

I found myself smiling as I listened, and beside me, Tony had a small smile on his face as well.

"Of course, we _had _to check it out. Two young-blooded kids like us… we went in expecting to have a laugh at the poor bastard who claimed himself a magician." Obadiah paused and stared down at his drink. He swirled it around for a moment before taking a sip. "But that single act knocked us off our ass and made us, for one moment, believe."

The smile disappeared off my face. I took a quick sip of my drink before anyone could check for my reaction, for inside my mind, a danger alarm was blaring.

"Wait a minute," Tony said, stepping forward. "This is the first I'm hearing of you two 'believing' in anything. I've seen Sirius' tricks—because that was what they were, tricks—and I know for a fact that it wasn't magic."

Obadiah drained the rest of his drink and then poured himself a new glass. "It was different for you. You were just a kid then, so you believed everything Sirius did without question. As you grew up, however, your recollection of the events changed, so you were able to convince yourself that what you saw were parlor tricks." The man stared at nothing for a moment. "But your father and I—we weren't naïve children. We were already accomplished inventors. Two men of science. We could reveal any magician's trick in five seconds flat, because they were all simple child's play, but Sirius… He was different. And your father knew it."

"Dad? _My _dad?" Tony snorted. "I don't believe it."

Obadiah made a dismissive sound. "Believe what you will; that's not the point of this story. After Sirius' show, we confronted the man and demanded he tell us how he had pulled off the feats we had witnessed that night. The rat bastard just grinned and said, 'Sorry, but a magician never reveals his secrets.' That was the first time, but not the last, that I wanted to throttle Sirius Black."

The man seemed to lapse into thought, his eyebrows drawn together and his forehead crinkled. Then, he looked up and sighed. "Howard went back to that bar every night—and I did too. We would spend hours after the show proposing our theories on how Sirius had performed his 'magic' through conventional means, but he would neither confirm nor deny it. Eventually, I gave up, but Howard didn't. Over time, the two became as thick as thieves. When it was time for us to leave for the states, Sirius was there to see us off onto our plane and Howard told Sirius that he should take his act to New York, and that if he did, he would be welcomed.

"We didn't see much of Sirius after that, till one day, he decided to take Howard up on his offer. For a while, I thought Sirius would become the next Houdini. But one day… he just quit. No warning, no explanation, no nothing. He and Howard started spending even more time with each other after that. I tried talking to Howard to find out what was going on, but I would just be blown off. A few years later, Sirius just disappeared and I haven't heard from him since."

That was a lot of information to take in, and for a moment my head was swimming from how much more I knew. Even though it seemed as if Obadiah didn't know what became of Sirius either, I was grateful for everything he _did _know, and I told him so.

The man waved my thanks away. "So, what is the cheeky bastard up to these days?"

I blinked at the question, for a moment forgetting that the world I came from was in the past. While it had only been two days since I had last seen Sirius, to everyone else in the room, it had been more than _twenty years_.

Of course they would think that I had seen him recently—for I had. Just not in the way that they all assumed.

"Oh, he… he went missing again," I said. It wasn't exactly a lie. Sirius _was _missing. "So I'm looking for him."

Tony was frowning at me and I pleaded to him with my eyes not to say anything. I knew I was asking a lot of Tony to keep this hidden from his mentor, but I felt as if the man was already suspicious enough. I did not need to add any more kindling to that fire.

Obadiah snorted. "Guess he hasn't changed a bit. I wouldn't worry then, son. I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere."

I nodded my head, not sure I agreed with him, yet unwilling to consider any alternatives.

"Sorry to cut this little meeting short," Tony said, walking over and once more draping an arm over me. "But little Harry and I have somewhere to be."

"But you just got here!" Obadiah said, raising an arm and sloshing his drink.

Tony gave an apologetic smile. "Next time we'll have a boy's night out. Strippers. Drinks. We'll go all out." That seemed to appease the man as he nodded and drank what remained in his glass. "And slow down on the scotch, will you? People will think you're me."

Obadiah laughed as Tony led me out of the room and into the elevator. Tony was the picture of cool indifference, which was already enough to put me on edge. I knew an inevitable confrontation was incoming.

The elevator doors closed and Tony rounded on me. "What the hell was that back there?"

I just hadn't expected it to be so soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"_What the hell was that back there?" _

Tony stood in front of me, his face cloudy. I swallowed, for I didn't know what to say. The elevator gave a _ka-chunk _sound as it began its smooth descent downward.

"I…" Tony waited, his stare pinning me to the spot and the box of the elevator leaving me with nowhere to run. "I just…"

Annoyance shifted to anger. "You just _what_? Please tell me Harry, because I don't know _what _the hell is going on anymore!"

I swallowed again, cowering in the face of Tony's ire. "What do you want me to say?" I asked, my voice low.

"The truth—the _whole_ truth. And not these half truths you've been spoon feeding me since yesterday."

My eyes shifted away. I stared at the walls, at the floor, at Tony's shoes. Anywhere but into the eyes of the man before me. "I can't…" I sighed.

Tony made a sound of frustration and there was a waning sound as the elevator ground to a sudden halt. I looked up in confusion, for a moment panicking.

"Calm down. I hit the emergency brake button. We're not going anywhere until you tell me the truth."

Now _I_ was getting angry. "I've already told you I can't! Why can't you just trust me and—"

"Trust you? How on earth do you expect me to trust you when you dodge every single question I ask you? How about instead you start trusting _me_."

I had no response for that. I merely shook my head, the frustration and helplessness making me want to scream. "I… I can't…" I said, clenching my fist to the point of pain. "You're asking me to put my life in your hands…"

"Harry. Harry, look at me." I did as instructed and looked up as Tony put his hands on both of my shoulders. His eyes stared into mine. "Harry, tell me: are you in danger?"

I bit my lip but didn't look away. "No… but I don't know what you'll do once I tell you the truth…"

"Would it put _me _in danger?"

"No," I said without hesitation.

"Then Harry, I promise that no matter what you tell me, I will not do anything to jeopardize your safety."

He seemed so earnest—so genuine and unlike his usual self that I wanted so badly to believe him. I didn't have anyone whom I could turn to in this world, so to be able to tell just _one _person…

"How can I know you won't go back on your promise?" I asked.

"I may be many things, unpredictable one of them, but if I promise something, you can bet your ass that I'll deliver."

I released a quiet breath and stepped away from Tony's hold. I pressed my back against the furthest elevator wall and closed my eyes. I needed a moment to collect myself. I was taking a huge risk, but… honestly, what did I have to lose?

I opened my eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

I sighed. "Then take a seat. ...Or stand," I said with a wan smile as I remembered our setting. "This is going to take a while."

"Hold on," Tony said, turning to open a hidden panel beside the elevator door. He fiddled with a few wires before closing the hatch and turning back to me with a nod.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I disabled the security cameras so that this conversation stays between the two of us."

My eyebrows rose, as I hadn't even thought about that. A bit more assured that Tony could be trusted, I gathered my thoughts and began to speak.

I told him what he wanted to know. The truth. All of it. Starting from how both of my parents were killed, through my time at the Dursley's and subsequently Hogwarts, and the events that led up to the current point in time. The veil, Sirius' letter. I left nothing out. Tony listened without interruption, but his facial expressions as I talked were telling.

They flickered from doubt to surprise, with a few glances of pity thrown in as well. I didn't know if the pity was because of how I had lived my life, or because Tony thought that I was mental and needed help. Either way, I didn't let it deter me.

"And that's everything," I finished, leaning my head back against the iron elevator wall to stare at the florescent lights above us.

Tony didn't respond as he stared at nothing. I was curious yet wary of what his reaction would be.

After what felt like minutes, Tony said, "So let me get this straight. You and Sirius are from a world where magic and mythical beasts exist. What's more, the both of you could also use magic."

"…Yes," I said, trying to gauge how Tony was taking the whole thing.

"And in this world, in what you referred to as 'The Department of Mysteries', there is a veil which Sirius fell through, with you following shortly after." I nodded. "And this veil was a… a gateway to _this _world, only Sirius arrived here twenty years in the past, while you arrived just yesterday. Now, do I have all this right?"

"You don't believe me," I said, my voice empty. I had expected this much, but it still stung.

Tony shook his head. "I believe you've had a hard life—I can tell from the look in your eyes. I also believe that you knew Sirius—how, I don't know. I believe that you don't have anyone else to turn to. But magic…? Everything we've thought to be magic has been proven by science."

"Magic may not exist in this world; I don't know anything for certain," I conceded. "But I can prove it."

The man raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that wager. If you can show me proof—right here, right now, within the enclosed space of this elevator—of magic… then I'll believe you about _everything_."

I gave him a serious look, although there was a grin on my face. "No going back on your word."

"I never do."

With a nod, I pulled out my wand from the confines of my sock. Tony raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. I paused for a moment to think.

Tony was a man of science. I would have to do something not only impossible by science, but something that couldn't be explained by the person who had seen it. My eyes lit up as I thought of the perfect spell.

I pointed my wand at Tony and flicked my wrist. "Wingardium Leviosa."

The effect was immediate. Tony's feet lifted off the ground and the man's eyes widened in horror. "W-What the…? W-Woh… hey!"

I lifted my arm in a slow ascent and Tony bobbed along with it. "Do you believe me now?" I kept my voice low, focusing on channeling the spell so that I wouldn't drop him.

Tony gave a nervous laugh. "Ha…haha… Yeah! Holy crap, this is amazing!"

I grinned and had Tony do a front flip. The man gave a whoop of excitement and did a breast stroke as he pretended as if he were swimming through the air. I laughed, deciding that Tony had had his fun and slowly returned the man to the ground. His face was flushed and his eyes were alight with an almost childlike glee.

"That was… that was…"

"Wicked?" I supplied, unable to wipe the smile off my face.

"Yes! Oh my god… Why don't we have jetpacks yet? That's it. When I get home I'm drawing up the blue prints for a jetpack."

I stored my wand back into my sock and looked on in amusement as Tony continued to babble to himself. When it seemed as if he would not be stopping anytime soon, I interrupted, "So. I take it you believe me now?"

That seemed to sober the man up and his eyes widened. "…Magic is real…? _You _can use magic…" Tony began to pace. He stopped. "Sirius could use magic! …There's an entire _world _out there full of people who can use magic. This… this changes _everything_." Tony began pacing again before he stopped and turned to me. "We have to tell Obadiah."

"No!" I said immediately, frowning.

"Why not?" Tony asked with a frown. "I trust Obi with my life."

"But _I _don't," I said. I could tell that Tony was ready to argue with me, so I cut him off. "I already took a gamble on trusting you, Tony. One of the biggest reasons I was afraid was because I thought you might try to have me dissected in a lab somewhere."

Tony was horrified. "What? I wouldn't!"

I hesitated in responding. I didn't know Tony that well, as we had only known each other for a day, but I _wanted _to trust him and he had given me his word. He had no magic with which to make an unbreakable vow, so I couldn't take what he said at face value.

"…I don't know what anyone in this world is capable of," I said, choosing my words with care. "Least of all your friend. He already seems to have his suspicions on magic existing. I don't know what he would do once he found out. Do you?"

Tony didn't look pleased, but he didn't press the issue, for which I was grateful. "So what do we do now?"

I opened my mouth and then closed it, blinking. "We?"

"Of course," Tony said without hesitation, pressing the red button on the side of the elevator doors. The machine gave a mechanical thud before moving again. "You didn't think I'd just abandon you after all this, did you?"

"…I'm confused. What are you saying?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Do I need to draw you a picture? I'm saying you're not alone in this. Until you can find your way back home, I have your back. You can come crash at my place and we—"

My eyes widened and I shook my head. "I couldn't, you've already helped me enough, I'd—"

"Shut it. I'm not backing down from this. Face it, kid; you're stuck with me for a little while longer at the very least."

Mouth open in silent wonder, I stared at Tony, who stared right back. As the elevator reached the base floor and the doors swung open, a smile found its way onto my face. A weight I hadn't even noticed disappearing from my shoulders. I had a momentous task ahead of me if I wanted to find Sirius and return the two of us home. Knowing that I wouldn't be alone during the ordeal was a huge relief.

"Thanks, Tony," I said, not even caring when my voice hitched.

He placed a hand on my head and ruffled my hair. "Don't worry about it, kid. Though I should mention that I'm only in New York on business. I planned on returning to my home in LA soon… but what the hell, let's make this a bit of a vacation."

* * *

Back at Tony's apartment, there was a mysterious red-headed woman waiting. Tony, however, seemed to know her for his face lit up at the sight of them.

"Pepper! Just the person I was looking for," Tony said.

Pepper did not look half as pleased to see him. "I've been trying to call you, but all of my messages have been going to voice mail."

"My phone is off," the man said simply.

She sighed. "I figured as much when you didn't show up for your eleven o'clock."

"Cancel it."

"…You've already missed it. I've rescheduled."

"Even better," Tony said, shrugging off his suit jacket and throwing it haphazardly over the couch. Pepper picked it up and placed it over the nearby coat rack.

"And your two o'clock?" she asked.

Tony thought for a moment. "What was that again?"

"Going over the patent proposal with the executive board."

"Cancel it."

Pepper gave a long suffering sigh. "I'll reschedule it for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Tony said with a frown. "No, tomorrow won't do. In fact, clear my schedule for the entire week."

The woman just stared. "The entire week? Not that it will make anything better, but what do you have to do that's so important that you'll have me tick off the whole business district of New York by trying to reschedule everything?"

"Family."

"Family?" Pepper asked, blinking.

Tony turned and gestured to me with his arm, drawing her attention. "Family."

I was caught off guard, but at Tony's pointed look, I hid my surprise and rolled with his white lie. After a brief moment of hesitation, I stepped forward. "Hello. I'm Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you."

"…You as well," she said, for a moment appearing dazed. She turned to Tony. "…I didn't know you had family visiting. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know myself until he appeared on my doorstep late last night." Tony glanced at me with a quirked eyebrow and the corner of my lips turned upward. "He came all the way from the UK to visit a close friend he knew at boarding school who moved to the states. But, on his way to the airport to return home, he was mugged."

Pepper gasped and she turned to me. "Are you okay?"

It took a great deal of effort to turn my mouth into a frown. I wanted so badly to laugh, and the grin Tony was giving me over Pepper's shoulder was not helping. "I'm… I'm fine," I said, crossing my arms and digging in my nails in an effort to stem my amusement. "But the buggers stole all my things."

"Including his luggage and plane ticket home," Tony continued, nodding. "That was why I had you get something for him to wear earlier."

Pepper nodded and glanced at the clothes I was wearing. "I _was _curious about that. I'm glad to see they fit."

"Anyway," Tony said, "Harry will be staying with me for a while."

"What about his parents?" the woman asked.

"They're on holiday too," I said, thinking fast. I glanced at Tony and the man motioned for me to continue. "That… that was why they agreed to let me visit my mate in the first place—because they wouldn't be home." Pepper didn't seem convinced. "They worry about me," I added.

Tony picked up on my behalf. "So they were pleased to know that Harry would be staying with me. Until they return from their trip, of course."

Pepper hummed. "While I think it's sweet that you want to take care of your…"

"Cousin," we both said at the same time and then exchanged looks.

"Right. While I think it's sweet, you can't just shirk all of your duties while Harry is here." She frowned. "How long will that be, anyway?"

"…Good question," Tony said with a frown. "Harry?"

How was I supposed to know something like that? I suppressed a glare as I thought. It would seem suspicious if I gave an arbitrary amount of time, so it would be best to instead give a reasonable time frame. At least for now. "…Until the end of summer?" I said, though it sounded more like a question.

Tony nodded. "Until the end of summer."

Pepper opened a notebook I hadn't noticed her carrying and began to flip through it. For a moment, only the sound of her muttering and the sound of the pages turning filled then room. Then, with a snap, she closed the notebook and sighed. "Okay. If you can just manage these next few weeks, I'll have some leeway to give you time for the rest of the summer. Deal?"

Tony looked as if he were going to argue so I spoke up.

"I don't need anyone to look after me." Both pairs of eyes swiveled onto me and I tensed under the combined weight of their stares. "If you have other obligations to take care of, you shouldn't ignore them on my account…"

Tony searched my face. After a moment, the man gave a resigned sigh and turned to his secretary. "Fine. Reschedule everything so that I can be done with it all as soon as possible."

Pleased, Pepper nodded. "Oh, and what about Harry's belongings? Did you report the incident to the police?"

"Police…? Of course." Tony scoffed, as if it were obvious. "But it was dark and Harry didn't get a good look at them. His possessions are probably being sold off on the black market as we speak."

"What about replacements?" she asked. Tony just blinked at her and she rolled her eyes. "You got him one suit. He can't exactly wear that the entire time he's here, can he? Not to mention all the toiletries and sundries he'll need."

Tony frowned. "Right... So we'd need to go on a shopping trip."

"Hold on," I said, shaking my head. "You're already doing so much for me by letting me stay here… I couldn't possibly ask you to buy me things as well…"

"Don't be stupid. I'm rich," Tony said. "Besides." He walked over and slung his arm over my shoulder, his body weight making me slouch. "You're family. And you can't so no to a family member's generosity, can you?"

I held my tongue, knowing that Pepper was watching the exchange between us. "…Right," I said with more of a growl then I intended. "I can't…"

Smiling, Tony once more faced Pepper. "Then it's settled. We'll go shopping now so that—"

"Nice try, but you have an appointment," Pepper said, checking her watch. "If you don't leave soon, then you're going to be late."

"But Harry—"

"We have a deal, remember? Just a few weeks, Tony. I'll take him clothes shopping. _You _go. Happy should be waiting for you outside."

Seeing that he wouldn't be able to weasel his way past Pepper, Tony relented. He looked down at me and ruffled my hair. "Looks like you're gonna have to survive without me for a while. You up for it?"

I brushed the hair out of my eyes and glared without any heat. "I think I'll manage."

* * *

"So, what's your style?"

Pepper and I were in a clothing store located in the market district of the city. Racks and racks of clothes surrounded me from all directions, mannequins stood on pedestals to show off the latest designs and there were posters on the wall which proclaimed discounts on the latest fashions.

I turned to the woman who stood beside me, feeling entirely out of my element. "My… style?"

Pepper saw the look of discomfort on my face and gave me a small smile. "What sort of clothing do you like? Do you have a particular color you favor? A certain design of jeans you can't live without? Anything like that?"

A hum escaped me as I thought. At last, I shook my head, my eyes following a group of girls my age as they wandered past, smiling and talking as they passed by. Upon seeing me, one girl whispered something to her friends and they all giggled before disappearing to another part of the store.

I frowned, shrugging one shoulder. "No… Not really. I've been wearing jeans and a t-shirt for as long as I can remember."

"Let me guess," Pepper said. "You've never gone clothes shopping for yourself, have you?"

It was true. Ever since I was small, I had always received Dudley's too large hand me downs, continuing even into my time at Hogwarts. Not once had I been allowed to pick out my own clothing, and as such, I was not someone concerned with fashion.

"Is that weird?" I asked. It felt almost as if I didn't know how to be a normal teenager.

Still, Pepper shook her head. "Not at all. You're still young, after all. Follow me, we'll look through jeans and t-shirts, and I'll let you pick out the ones you like."

Shopping for myself was an unique experience. As we went from clothing rack to clothing rack, I would try my best to ignore the pricier clothing options and instead pick something on sale or of lower quality, uncaring of how it looked. While it was true that this was for me alone, it was still Tony's money, and I could not in good conscience take advantage of his kindness. However, I didn't give Pepper enough credit, and she saw through my ploy without delay.

"You don't have to hold back," she told me after I had found a shirt I liked. It was collared and emerald green with white stripes, and the material was soft under my fingers. However, one glance at the price tag and I had sighed and placed it back.

I blinked at her in confusion as she added the shirt to the growing pile of clothing I had already collected.

"No, that's okay," I said, picking up the shirt and staring down at it. "I… don't like this color anyway."

"It matches your eyes." Pepper smiled when I glanced up at her. "If you're worried about Tony, you _do _know that he's loaded, right?"

I nodded once, letting my shoulders slump. "I know, but it's just the principle of things. I hate feeling like I'm taking more than I deserve."

"You're his family, right?" My eyes widened and all I could do was give a jerky nod. "Tony never talks about his family, outside of his father, and that's only during business speeches. I didn't even know he had family in Europe until today."

I bit my lip, a sinking feeling in my chest. Pepper may have thought that she was cheering me up, but in fact she was doing the exact opposite.

"Hey, Harry… Tony doesn't give handouts—not even to charities." That caught my attention and I cocked my head in confusion. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Tony is some sort of miser, because that's as far from the truth as one could get. But what I mean is, if Tony doesn't think something is worth it in some way then he won't waste his time with it. That's just how he is." Pepper sighed and brushed a strand of hair from her face that had slipped from her bun. "What I'm trying to say is, if you feel like you're taking advantage of Tony, don't, because Tony only invests. Do you understand?"

"I… think I do," I said after a short moment of quiet contemplation.

"So you'll take the shirt?" she asked with an almost hopeful smile.

I chuckled. "I'll take the shirt."

After that, shopping continued, and it was a much brighter affair. I selected clothing I _wanted_, and while there was a bit of hesitation, I would look to Pepper and she would just smile, and that would be enough to convince me.

In the end, I bought quite a few pairs of trousers, shirts, undergarments, and two pairs of shoes. I didn't even want to stay in the store as the cashier rung up the prices on the items, for I was sure that guilt would once more rear its head, and I would suggest that we return some things. So instead, I had gone outside and waited for Pepper to finish up.

At last, the shopping came to an end and we loaded everything up into Pepper's car and we were on our way.

She suggested we stop for frozen yogurt, and since I had never tried it, I agreed. I ended up trying vanilla flavored topped with chocolate sprinkles. The yogurt melted over my tongue and I released a pleased hum at the taste. It was sweet with the sprinkles adding a bit of a crunch.

Even though the intent had been just a shopping trip, once Pepper had learned that this was my first time in Long Island, the woman had been insistent that she give me a tour. Unable to think of a reason not to, I had agreed, and again we had set off.

I had seen a small fraction of the city during the time I had wandered in a daze, and then, I hadn't been too impressed. But as Pepper explained each building and pointed me toward something of historical significance, I couldn't help but appreciate the city for what it was.

At last, when the sun was beginning its descent in the sky, painting the sky in hues of pink and orange, Pepper had at least realized the time. With a sheepish smile, she suggested we return home and I agreed with a chuckle.

By the time we finished putting away the clothing in my room, the sun had set, and Pepper had left. Tony still wasn't back, and I was exhausted, so I went to bed.

* * *

When next I woke, it was to sunlight ebbing into the room from the cracks of the curtained window. I sat up in bed and stretched before slipping on my glasses which rested on the bedside table. I jumped out of bed to prepare for the day.

When I was finished dressing, I headed into the kitchen and browsed around, unsurprised to find that Tony had already left—if he had ever even returned. Still, I wasn't worried. Pepper had told me yesterday that Tony would be busy since he had decided to handle his affairs in bulk instead of spread out over time.

I was hungry, and from the fact that Tony had his assistant cook for him, I knew that there wouldn't be much in the way of ingredients, but he did at least have cereal so I helped myself to a bowl.

It felt… odd being in Tony's home by myself. I hadn't noticed so much yesterday because I had been exhausted after spending the day with Pepper, but now that I was rested, the clinking of my spoon on the glass bowl I was using sounded awfully loud.

I finished eating and cleaned the few meager dishes that rested in the sink before glancing at the clock. It was still early, so I decided to check and see how programs on the telly had evolved over the course of ten years.

I plopped myself down onto the couch and grabbed the remote off of the coffee table. It took me a moment, but I figured out which button turned on the large screen in front of me. The image of men playing golf immediately appeared on the screen. A man had just hit the ball through the air, and there was polite applause as the ball landed in the green.

Sports—at least Muggle sports—were not something that I was fond of, so I changed the channel. This time it appeared to be a news channel, and I listened in as the woman on screen spoke.

"_The situation on the war in Afghanistan intensifies as late last night, two U.S. soldiers were injured in a car bomb."_

My face twisted as the camera feed shifted to the scene of the incident in Afghanistan. Men and women alike were being ushered away by camo-wearing men toting guns. They appeared to by trying to quarantine off an area where an obvious explosion had taken place, a blackened crater marring the ground.

A cold sensation spread through my gut and I quickly changed the channel. I had already had my fill of war, fighting and death in my world; I couldn't take any more of it here as well. My stomach tightened when I remembered that Tony was a weapon's manufacturer and possibly the U.S. Army's largest benefactor.

Tony was involved in this war, whether he realized it or not. And since I was involved with Tony…

I switched the TV off and stood to my feet, the cereal I had eaten earlier debating if it wanted to make a return trip from my stomach. Thankfully it was over as soon as it had begun, and I placed a hand on my stomach, willing it to relax.

Having nothing else to do, I began to pace. When I grew tired of that, I marched over to the bookshelf and began to read through the titles. _The Analysis of Mechanics and You; Absolute Guide to Physics and Engineering; Rudimentary Study of Matter - For Dummies_.

Not having a clue of what any of these books were about, I chose one at random and went into the kitchen to read it. I placed the book on the table and took a seat before opening to the front page. After nearly ten minutes, I closed the book in frustration, having not even made it past the first _paragraph_.

Tony must have been a _genius _to understand any of these books. My brain was pounding from even attempting to read it; I could not even begin to imagine trying to comprehend it. Science was always one subject that I had struggled with, and when I had learnt of magic and discovered the opportunities there, a normal Muggle education had seemed pointless. I could just get a job in the Wizarding World, after all.

Now that option wasn't even available to me. I was stuck in a world where magic didn't exist with only a primary school education. To add insult to injury, my new guardian was a genius who had become rich and famous through his knowledge.

Compared to Tony Stark, I was an amoeba.

I was broken from my depressed musings when there was a knock on the door. I again glanced at the clock before treading over to open it. It was a man I had never seen before.

"Hey there," the man on the other side of the door said, a smile on his face. "You must be Harry?"

I had the door open a small bit and peeked out at the man through the crack. "Um… Yes. Can I help you?"

"I'm Happy Hogan. I work for Tony…"

"Okay," I said, still not opening the door any further.

"He asked me to keep you company. Well, Pepper did, but Tony agreed that it wasn't a bad idea. I'm his chauffeur and bodyguard, by the way."

I frowned. "I see…"

The man on the other end of the door chuckled. "You don't believe me—that's good. Here, I'll call Tony and you can speak to him yourself."

Happy, as he had introduced himself, removed one of those small portable phones from his pocket and tapped a few keys on it before pressing it to his ear. There was a small quiet moment as we stared at each other, waiting for Tony to pick up on the other end. After a few more moments of waiting, Happy perked up.

"Hey, Tony—what? No. He's here now… Yeah, he's fine. We're just having a little stranger danger moment." Happy laughed but then abruptly stopped with a frown. "Eh? Yeah, I'm fine… Why wouldn't I be?" The man blinked as he listened and then gazed at me. I shifted, wondering what was being said on the other end.

After a moment of listening, the man offered the phone to me. "Here. It's Tony."

I glanced at the device being presented to me before snatching it from the man's large hands. He seemed amused by how quickly I had grasped it, but I was already pressing the phone to my ear and listening in for any sounds on the other end.

"Tony?"

"Yo, Harry," came the voice of Tony on the other end. "Sorry about Happy. It was Pepper's idea and I figured you could make do with the company."

I glanced at Happy out of the corner of my eye. "I suppose…" It was true that I was becoming bored being cooped up with nothing to do, but I didn't need a babysitter either.

"Happy's a pretty good guy once you get to know him. I think you'll like him," Tony said. My only reply was a hum. "Sorry, but I have to cut this call short. I'm starting to get death glares from the share holders… Oh, don't go trying to hide it now," Tony muttered to someone I couldn't see.

Tony and I said our goodbyes and I handed the phone back to Happy. The man smiled and flipped the device closed before placing it into his pocket. Reluctantly, I stepped away from the door and invited the man in.

Once inside, Happy walked over toward the sofa and plopped down. "So, what were you up to before I crashed the party?"

I remained standing and shrugged my shoulders.

"And you're Tony's cousin?" Happy asked.

I nodded.

The man shifted in his seat and glanced around the room. "What do you like to do for fun?" he asked.

I frowned and again shrugged my shoulders.

"You don't know? Really?" Happy sighed. "How about video games? Do you like those?"

I thought for a moment. Dudley had owned all of the latest gaming systems while growing up, but I had never had a chance to try any of them.

"I've never played any," I admitted.

The man's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Seriously? Wow, that's surprising." Happy stood to his feet and walked over to a small glass cabinet under the flat screen TV. He began rummaging through its contents before he released a sound of accomplishment and stood to his feet holding a plastic case.

"Trust me; you're going to _love_ them."

I hadn't expected the man to be _right_.

It had taken a bit of trial and error, but after a few games, I managed to catch on. There was a wide variety of games, ranging from racing cars, solving puzzles, and games where the object was just to beat the other person to a bloody pulp.

We had just finished a game when Happy suggested we play something else. I agreed without hesitation. The name of the game appeared on screen: Camelot Wars. I tilted my head, intrigued, and then Happy navigated his way to the character select screen.

The game's roster consisted of all of the characters from the tales of King Arthur and his legendary reign, including Merlin, whom Happy was quick to select. I chose Arthur and the journey began.

The game was what Happy described as a "hack and slash" game where we fought our way through horde's of enemies on our quest for the Holy Grail. The story made no sense to me, but I supposed it didn't have to when the purpose of the game was just to have fun.

I was rubbish at it, and would die over and over again. I ended up going through every character on the list except for Merlin, as the great wizard was always chosen by Happy.

"Why do you always choose Merlin?" I asked, as the game loaded.

Happy thought for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know… I'm just really into wizards and stuff like that, you know?"

That surprised me. I looked over at the man and then back towards the screen. "You're interested in wizards?"

"…Well, that's not it either," he clarified as the music from the game started up. "I guess I'm more intrigued by what they can do."

"That's a little surprising considering you work for one of the leading developers of modern technology," I said, remembering the title of a magazine article I had read.

"Technology doesn't disprove fantasy… If anything, it's quite the opposite."

I was so surprised that I mistimed my jump and ending up falling into a pit full of spikes. I sat the controller down on the table and stared at Happy. The man was frowning at the game over screen, but he sat down his own controller and turned to me.

"What's up? We were pretty close to the end."

I wetted my dry lips and asked the question that had been hammering away at my mind since we began this conversation. "Happy… Do you… do you believe magic exists?"

The man stared at me, lifted a single eyebrow, and said without hesitation, "Yes." My eyes widened; there was a sudden rushing in my ears as if I had been pushed from a high distance and left to free fall. "Well," Happy continued with a frown on his face. "I guess it also depends on your definition of magic."

I blinked, cocking my head to the side as the falling sensation halted mere moments before I hit the ground. "What do you mean?"

Happy shrugged and leaned backward in his seat. "What something means to me could mean the exact opposite to someone else, such as the definition of a word. It's all objective. Take for instance the game we were just playing. In it, Merlin could control the elements to shoot fireballs from his staff and make lightning rain down from the skies. But would you call what he was doing was 'magic?'"

"…I don't get it," I admitted with a frown. "Are you asking me if my definition of magic is being able to shoot fire?"

Happy shook his head with a wry smile. "No… Not exactly, at least. Okay, think of it this way. I know it's not real, but bear with me. To the people of that world, what Merlin could do would without a doubt be magic. However, is it the _method _he used to achieve those results? Is that 'magic'? Or is it the results themselves that are magic?"

I thought for a moment, trying to wrap my mind around the proposal before me. "Well, it's the result themselves that are magic," I concluded. "Whether it's done by waving a wand or just speaking a magic word, if the result is something impossible by ordinary means, then I'd say that it was magic."

"So that is your definition of magic?" Happy asked. "When an impossible result is achieved through unorthodox means?"

Thinking on it a moment, I nodded.

"In that case, yes, I do believe in magic—but not in the same way you seem to." Happy gave a quiet sigh and ran a large hand along the back of his neck. "Ah, this is a kind of ridiculous discussion, isn't it…? Maybe we should take about something else?"

"No!" I said, perhaps with too much force. The man gave me an odd look and I took a quiet breath to calm myself. "Please. I would really like to hear your opinion."

In my world, there was no questioning whether magic existed or what form it took. Magic was, without a doubt, an intangible energy that resided in all wizards, witches, and even some creatures, which could be used with a focus to achieve incredible results. It was _fact_.

But here, in this world, Sirius had claimed that magic as I _knew _it did not exist. Which meant it was safe to say that no one in this world was born with magic inside of them. Yet, could another form of magic exist? Had the people of this world developed their own form of magic?

"What is magic?" I asked, looking at Happy with serious eyes.

"…This is a little embarrassing," Happy said, and I could see red creeping up from his neck to touch the bottom of his ears. "I've never talked about this with anyone… but, since you asked, I'll tell you my opinion." Taking a deep breath, Happy said, in the same matter-of-fact tone he had used earlier, "I believe that magic… _is _science."

I was caught off guard and could only shake my head. "Science?" I had been expecting something more… well, magical. "…Wait, you said earlier… that 'technology doesn't disprove fantasy.' What did you mean by that?"

Happy rubbed along his jaw and gazed at the ceiling. "Well… It all comes back to the question: what is magic? Like I said earlier, that's subjective, but even you agreed that magic is 'the achieving of the impossible.' Well, I believe that is true as well. However, who decides what is impossible? Unless you believe in a higher power—which is doubtful considering this talk of magic—then that leaves only one being, and that… is man. So, in that case, the 'impossible' is little more than what we as humans believe can be done. That does not, however, make it so. The impossible has always been possible, and I believe that those capable of bridging the two can do so using 'magic.'"

"And science?" I asked, trying my best to keep up with his leaps in logic.

"Science is…" The man hummed. "Science is like… the conductor… The—"

"Magic wand?"

"Yes!" Happy said with a snap of his fingers. "Science is the 'magic wand' that harnesses the energy of those willing to put forth the effort to make things thought impossible a reality. Am I making any sense here…?"

"A lot I don't quite understand," I admitted with a sheepish grin, "but what I _did _get was that science is the magic of this world."

After a few moments, Happy nodded. "Yeah… I like the sound of that. Simple, but gets the point across. However, I'd change one thing. Science is not the magic of this world; it is the magic of _humans _as a species."

For a moment, I was speechless, and then, a small smile broke across my face. "In that case, anyone is capable of this 'magic', huh?"

Happy nodded. "Now you're cooking with Crisco."

"So, do you think it would be possible to create a doorway to another world…? Through science," I added, when Happy raised an eyebrow.

"A doorway to another world?" he asked. "Like, to Mars…?"

"No… I mean like to another _world. _An entirely different universe, much like the one we're on now, but completely different."

Happy stared at me with a single narrowed eye. "That's a pretty… interesting question. New Trek or old Trek?"

I blinked. "…Excuse me?"

"Star Trek… You're a fan, right? Because in the episode where the Enterprise goes through the wormhole and they…" As I continued to stare in bland incomprehension, Happy trailed off with a cough. "So… not a fan?"

"Sorry," I said with a shrug of my shoulders. "I've never heard of it."

"I—you've never—" Happy looked as if he would fall into an epileptic fit. "You've never played video games, you've never _heard _of Star Trek… what type of childhood did you _have_?"

The question made me wince and my eyes drifted toward my lap, the small smile I had worn during Happy's antics falling away.

"…I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me," Happy said after a brief beat of silence.

"It's okay," I told him, pushing the sting of his remark away. "But back to my question…"

"Of course. You asked me if it was possible to go to other worlds?"

"Um… not quite. I asked if it was possible to build a doorway between them."

"And by doorway you mean like… a portal?"

I nodded.

The man seemed bemused but considered the question. "Well, anything's possible," he said with a shrug.

"You don't look very convinced of it," I said, unable to keep the disappointment from coloring my voice.

"Well, that type of thing is probably tens, if not _hundreds_ of years away…" My shoulders slumped. "Then again, the reason is seems so unlikely is because such unusual forms of travel are still thought of as 'impossible.' For all I know, we could be using beam technology to travel to and from work as early as next year."

"So it's just a matter of finding out _how_?" I asked, to make sure I understood.

"Exactly that. As soon as you find the 'magic words,' as it were."

I tried to sort everything in my mind that Happy had just told me. My head pounded a bit from all of the new information that had been crammed into it, and I did not for a _second _think that I would be able to create a portal home, just because someone had told me it wasn't impossible.

Science was the magic of this world… Technology did seem more advanced, but I was also further in the future than where I came from. If I was in the same time period in my own world, would the technology be the same? There was no way for me to know for sure.

In the end, I came to the conclusion that it didn't matter. There _was _no magic to turn to, for magic didn't exist. From the very beginning, my only other alternative was science, and this conversation with Happy had only cemented that notion.

Turning to the man, I smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"Just… for talking with me," I said.

Happy stood up and stretched, releasing a low groan. "I never get a chance to talk about this kind of stuff with Tony, so it was my pleasure as well. I'm a bit of a sci-fi buff, which is why I've given such things the amount of thought I have. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm starving." I watched as Happy disappeared into the kitchen and heard the sound of the fridge opening.

I rose to my feet as well, a determination welling up inside of me. I finally had a concrete plan of attack for returning home: learn science.

Tony was a genius, and his books had been targeted towards individuals who also had his level of knowledge. It was understandable that they would all be well above my head, so I couldn't let that discourage me. I would just have to start smaller and work my way up.

Thinking of the inventor, an idea implanted itself in my brain.

* * *

Tony came through the door of the apartment, his shoulders slumped and his suit jacket hanging over his shoulder in one hand. He caught sight of me on the couch and gave a small smile that soon disappeared as he headed past me and toward his own room.

I frowned as I watched, thinking that the man looked run down and exhausted. I wanted to speak to him, but if he disappeared into his room, I didn't know when next I would get the chance.

After only a few minutes, Tony returned, still wearing his black trousers but his old shirt replaced with a t-shirt. The man next disappeared into the kitchen and I could hear the beep of the microwave before Tony ambled out with a bowl of macaroni and plopped himself into the seat across from me with a low rush of air.

Instead of digging into his food, the man placed it on the coffee table and then rubbed between his eyes with thumb and forefinger.

"You okay?" I asked, adjusting myself in my seat.

Tony cracked open one eye to look at me before closing it. "Don't become an inventor. Dealing with assholes who think they know your blueprints better than you is a nightmare. And then I have to get ready to go to this stupid charity auction in a few hours."

I winced, but with Tony's eyes closed, he didn't notice. "…Sounds rough."

With a sigh, Tony sat up and then dug a spoonful of macaroni into his mouth. He paused in chewing to stare down at it.

"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing his expression. "You don't like it?"

He swallowed and shook his head. "Quite the opposite. It's great. Did Pepper make this?" Without even waiting for an answer, the man returned to his meal.

A smile curled across my face. "Nope. I did."

His eyes widened and he once more looked down at his bowl of macaroni, as if it were shape shifting before his very eyes. "What's your secret? Fairy dust?"

"Close," I said with a laugh.

Once Tony finished eating, he sat back with a sound of contentment and patted his stomach. His eyelids were half-lidded and I knew that if I ever were to ask a favor of the man, this would perhaps be the best moment.

"Hey, Tony…"

He made a sound of tired inquiry.

"Do you… do you think you could teach me science?"

Tony's eyes opened and he sat up in his chair, his mouth curling downward. "What brought this on?"

I felt a slight pang of guilt for springing this on the man after he had endured an entire day of business meetings and who knew what else, but it was something I had given great thought to and wanted to work on right away.

"…This world doesn't have magic—or at least, the type of magic I can perform, right?" The man nodded with a contemplative frown. I took in a quiet breath before continuing, "Well, I've been thinking about it, and what would be the closest thing in this world to magic?"

A light shone in Tony's eyes. "…I see."

"Right," I said, my fingers entangling across my lap. "So, since magic isn't as easily manipulated as you'd think, it won't help me as much in my quest to return home as I'd like. With that off of the table, the only thing I'm left with… is science."

"It's sound logic," Tony said, standing up and disappearing into the kitchen. When he returned, he had two small shot glasses in one hand and a bottle in the other. He poured clear liquid into both and then handed one to me, but I declined with a frown. Shrugging, Tony downed mine and then his own with nary a flinch. With a refreshed sigh, Tony relaxed into his seat. "Anyway, learning science… That's a tall order. Didn't you tell me that you left for—what was it?—Frogwarts, when you were only eleven?"

"It's Hogwarts. And yes, I never finished primary school..."

Tony poured himself another drink as he hummed. "Well, I don't mean to sound cruel or anything, but even if you did have a proper education for your age, it would take _years _before you'd actually be able to apply what you've learned to anything practical."

"Yet you were making technological advances at seven," I countered, remembering something I had read about Tony in an article.

He tilted his head to the side, his gaze piercing through me. "I was a genius."

"And I'm a quick study."

There was a quiet moment as the two of us stared at the other, a silent battle of wills transpiring. But I was not going to back down just because I was years behind. It had been the same when I entered the Wizarding World as well.

I was against children who had spent their entire life receiving training from tutors and family members on all things magical, all while I had been stuck in a Muggle hell, ignorant. Yet it had never hindered my education in the slightest. In fact, I had taken to some spells quicker than anyone else, such as the Patronus charm.

Tony may have been a child prodigy, but I was a bullheaded Gryffindor, and if it meant becoming a master of all things scientific to return home, then there was nothing on the bloody planet that was going to dissuade me from it.

After what felt like an eternity, Tony rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine."

"So you'll teach me?" I asked, a grin blossoming onto my face—

"No."

—only to fall away in the next moment.

"What? Why not…?"

Tony downed the rest of his drink and leveled his gaze on me. "First of all, you have no basics, no foundation. With no proper education, there would be nothing to build upon, so it would all go to waste in the end. Second, though you may have a drive to learn, that doesn't mean you have a talent for it. Word's like 'prodigy' and 'genius' exist because some people were just born with a gift that allows them to soar above the rest. I refuse to waste my time teaching anyone whom I'm not one-hundred percent sure is even deserving of studying under me." I opened my mouth to argue, but he held up a hand to silence me. Scowling, I remained quiet. "Now, none of this is a personal attack against you, it's just the truth of the matter."

"So that's it?" I spat. "I'm uneducated, and thus, hopeless?"

"When did I say you were hopeless?" Tony asked with a raised brow. "I merely said that you are, in essence, a blank slate. I have no idea what you may or may _not _be capable of. I can't teach you, but that doesn't mean I won't _help _you. Because you're so behind, our best bet would be to find you a tutor who can brush up what you already know."

"And then?"

The inventor shrugged and settled himself into his seat. "And then we can see about entering you into a school when summer ends."

I stared, waiting for a punch line that never came. "…You're joking, right?"

"No? Why would I be?"

"Muggle schooling?" I scoffed, shaking my head. "I don't care about Maths and Language Arts and whatever other rubbish they'll try to cram down my throat; the only thing I'm interested in is Science."

Tony frowned. "Well, a tutor can only help you so much… Eventually you'll _have _to enter a school if you want to further your education."

I didn't like the thought of wasting time, but Sirius had spent two decades trapped here. If that was how long it would take, then… I sighed. I had no other choice. "How many years of schooling would I have to do?"

"That depends," Tony said. "At the end of the summer, I'll let you take an assessment test and we'll work from there."

With clenched fists, I nodded resigned.

"You know…" Tony's voice was low and hesitant, at odds with the confident way he had been speaking only moments prior. The shift caught my attention, and I waited for the man to gather his thoughts. "The reason you want to learn all of this is because you want to find a way home, right?"

I gave a slow nod which caused Tony to give a bitter smile. "I'm an accomplished engineer and I said I would help you… Why don't you just ask me to research a way?"

"I… couldn't do that," I said after a slight moment of hesitation.

"What if I told you I wanted to?"

"Thank you, but… I wouldn't be able to accept. At least not yet."

"I don't get you, kid," Tony said with a sigh. "You need help but you fight tooth and nail against it. They call that being prideful. Although… I guess I'm the last person who should try to lecture anyone on that, huh?"

I chuckled, a wry smile on my face which mirrored Tony's own. "…Maybe you're right. Maybe I do have too much pride, but it's more than that. I… I'm not naïve. Sirius was here for two decades, and in that time, he never found a way home…"

"How do you know he didn't find one once he went missing?" Tony asked.

I shook my head. "No… I know for a fact that he didn't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"This necklace…" I pulled the silver chain hidden within my clothes to reveal the shining emerald surrounded by the twin snakes. I met Tony's eyes, my voice filled with conviction. "This necklace is proof that Sirius didn't forget about me… If… if he had found a way home, he would have left _something_ to tell me. He wouldn't have just—" I took a deep breath to calm myself, my hand clenched around the cool stone of Sirius' necklace.

When my eyes opened, I had regained my composure and stared down at my lap to focus my thoughts. "I couldn't put such a burden on you, Tony. I know that I'm setting out on an impossible journey, but I'm prepared to spend ten, twenty or even fifty years not only looking for a way home, but Sirius as well. Even if we're both grey old men… if that's how long it takes…"

"I understand," Tony said. "But… in the future, once you've taken that first step… I'd like to be there. To walk it with you."

I grinned, touched beyond words that Tony would make such an undertaking. I couldn't speak past the lump which had formed in my throat, so all I was able to do was nod and extend my hand. For a moment, Tony seemed surprised, but then he grinned as well and we clasped hands, leaving me with the sense that something stronger than even an Unbreakable Vow had been formed that day.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4:_

The talk with Tony last night had gone much better than I had anticipated, and I had spent hours buzzing with excitement before drifting off into a dreamless sleep. I was sure that Hermione would be pleased with this change in my demeanor, while Ron on the other hand would cover his face with both hands and groan that there were 'two of them.'

I chuckled as I imagined it, heading down the hallway toward the kitchen. I could hear someone bustling around in there, as well as smell and hear grease sizzling. Curious, I peeked inside of the room and then felt my eyes widen and my mouth go dry.

The person had their back to me, but I could tell with a glance that they were female. What was more, they wore nothing but an apron and a pair of black knickers. With their back to me, I was able to see the curve of their back dip downward to a round bottom. My eyes were drawn to a tattoo I could see on their lower back, one which looked like a bird, its wings spread wide.

The view of the tattoo was taken away and instead I found myself staring at the front of an apron. Filled with dread, I allowed my gaze to tread upward, all the way to the face of a woman who wore an amused smile across her lips.

"I—I'm sorry," I stammered, feeling my face blaze as I had been caught staring. "I wasn't—I'm not—"

"You must be Harry," the woman said, still smiling. I clamped my mouth shut and gave a small nod. "Tony told me all about you. How sweet that he's babysitting for his neighbor while they're away."

I frowned, confused. Then, my eyes widened as I realized that Tony had fed this woman another false truth to distance us from one another.

"I… right," I said, blinking. I wanted to flee, but something in the woman's eyes rooted me to the spot. "Who are… you?"

The woman turned and once more I was presented with her backside. I covered my face with both hands, able to hear the sound of bacon curling as well as the smell of it tickling my nose.

"Yvette," the woman said. "I was the lucky winner of Tony in the charity auction last night. Worth every penny."

Again, my face flushed hot and I bit the inside of my cheek. It was quite obvious what Tony and the woman had engaged in last night. And down the hall from me no less while I slept through the entire ordeal.

"…I see," I said, peeking through my fingers. My eyes once more landed on her tattoo before I realized what I was doing and turned to flee. "Um… well, nice to meet you."

"Hold on." I paused in my retreat, glancing over my shoulder. The woman waved her spatula at me as though it were a weapon. "I spent all of this time cooking. The least you can do is sit with me while I eat."

I bit my lip, trying to think of an excuse to escape. However, the woman—Yvette, she said her name was—saw through it.

"Is it because I'm undressed?" A sound of surprise and embarrassment escaped my throat and she chuckled. "Don't fret, I'll go get changed. Breakfast is done, so help yourself."

Yvette walked off, and it took all of my willpower not to trail my gaze after her. Once she disappeared down the hallway, I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and wandered into the kitchen to see what the woman had prepared.

Bacon, eggs and orange halves were sat on various plates across the counter and I was surprised, for it all looked very good. As I was still debating with myself whether I would eat or not, Yvette returned, now wearing a tight black miniskirt and business jacket.

"Sorry, love," she said, placing an earring into her ear, "but I have to run." Her heels clicked across the tiled floor as she walked toward me and leaned forward, her fruity perfume numbing my brain. I thought she was going to hug me, but instead she reached around me to snag a piece of bacon from the tray and winked at me as she backed off.

"See you around," she called over her shoulder as she opened the front door and then disappeared through it.

I stared forward, my mouth half open. _…What had just happened_?

* * *

Happy stopped by later and I was quick to inform the man of Yvette, sparing no details. To my consternation, Happy just laughed and told me to get used to it, because I was going to be seeing a lot more of it.

When Tony returned and asked how my day was, I made no mention of the mystery woman who had made her way around the kitchen that morning, for I knew the man would tease me to no end about it. Instead, I held my peace, and came to accept that this was what came with living under the same roof as Tony Stark.

* * *

It was a few days later, and I had just gotten out of the shower when I heard a knock coming from the front door. I wrapped a towel around my waist with a frown, wondering who could be knocking at the door so early in the morning.

Happy had been coming to check on me every day for the past few days, but he usually only appeared around noon with lunch clasped in one hand and a new video game or movie in the other, a big grin on his face. Until Happy appeared, I usually spent the mornings alone.

The insistent knocking continued so I hurried across the hall to my room to throw on a pair of underwear and trousers, before heading towards the door, my wet hair flipping in front of my face.

"Yeah, yeah, keep your knickers on," I muttered as I jogged toward the door, holding my unbuttoned pants up with one hand while I held my towel in the other. I wiped my face and threw the towel onto the back of the couch, still shirtless. If the person on the other end of the door was offended by my appearance, it was their own bloody fault for interrupting me while I was trying to get ready.

The knocking continued, even louder than before and I scowled at the door as I fastened my trousers. "One second!" I yelled, making sure the annoyance showed in my voice. The knocking ceased and I released a satisfied huff of breath.

When I was as presentable as time allowed, I opened the door, curious as to whom I would find on the other end. A blond-haired man wearing a peach-colored suit and sunglasses was not it.

The man was tall and broad shouldered, his hands clasped below his waist.

"…Can I help you?" I asked, giving the man a once-over. I didn't recognize him, but I hadn't recognized Happy the first time I had met him either, so I thought in the back of my head that maybe Happy was busy and this man was to be his replacement.

"Are you Harry Potter?" the man asked in a far too serious tone. My shoulders stiffened and I clasped my hand tighter on the doorknob.

"Yes… Who are you?"

"I'm Agent Polanski. I work for Tony Stark."

I blinked, relaxing the slightest bit. "Okay… What do you need?"

"I'm going to need you to please come with me."

"…What?" I felt my heart slow and then speed up, my toes curling into the soft carpet as I stared at the man before me. Even though he wore sunglasses, I could feel his cool stare boring into me. "Come with you where? For what purpose?"

"Relax, I'm not some baby snatcher," the man said, smiling. If anything it only set me more on edge. "I told you, I work for Mr. Stark. He asked that I take you to Stark Industries. He wouldn't tell me why."

"…I see," I said, biting the inside of my cheek. The man stood in front of me with a wan smile, but I wasn't totally convinced. "So you should be able to call him, right?" I asked, remembering how Happy had called Tony. It had only been then when I had trusted the man.

The man's smile dipped downward. "Call who? Mr. Stark?" I nodded my head and he sighed, his shoulder's dipping. "Sure, one second." I watched as Agent Polanski reached into his suit jacket. The object he revealed gave off no reflection as it caught the dim florescent lighting in the hallway.

He pointed it straight at my head and I felt my heart sink into my feet. It was a gun… an honest to goodness _gun _being pointed straight at _me_. I could barely see straight, for it blocked most of my vision, and I tried to swallow but found that my mouth had gone dry.

I didn't blink. I didn't move. I didn't even dare to _breathe_.

"Let's try this again," the man said, stepping forward. With the hard steel digging into my forehead, I had no choice but to release the doorknob and step backwards, my hands raised into the air to show my compliance. "I said I'm going to need you to come with me. Now, are you going to comply, or am I going to have to get rough with you?"

My mind shifted into overdrive as I realized what was happening. I was being _kidnapped_—and I could think of only one reason why. Someone had found out that I was staying with Tony, and they most likely wanted to use me to get to the man.

I felt as if I should have _expected _something like this, but instead I was completely blindsided. I didn't even have my wand, for I hadn't thought to grab it from my room after I had gotten out of the shower and hastened to throw on some clothes.

I needed to do _something _or this man would take me somewhere and then… I didn't know what would happen to me, but I certainly was not about to find out.

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to buy time to think of a plan or for maybe someone to come so that I could—

"Ah!" I saw white as my neck twisted, a burning pain along the left side of my face. I stared at the ground, spots dancing before my eyes as I tried to comprehend what had just happened. I could feel something oozing down my face from my temple.

"You're in no position to be asking questions here, kid, so I advise you to only answer 'yes, sir' or 'no, sir' from here on out, alright?"

I looked up, the gun once more between my eyes. I clenched my teeth in anger and frustration but spat out, "…Yes… sir…"

The man grinned and nodded. "Good. Now…" The man lowered his gun and I tensed, prepared to spring into action if he let his guard down for the slightest moment. "We're going to walk downstairs, and then you're going to get in the car waiting there. No funny business, alright?"

The man walked behind me and I hissed as he dug the edge of his gun into my back, sending a shock through my spine.

"Now walk."

I edged closer to the door, my mind racing. I couldn't leave the house—if I did then there would be nothing I could do without the risk of getting shot. I had to… I had to think of _something_.

"W-wait, p-people will be suspicious if… if you go out onto the street w-with a shirtless t-teenage boy," I rasped out, pausing in the doorway and closing my eyes, praying that the man would buy my flimsy excuse.

I stumbled when there was a sudden blow to the back of my head. I felt the world spin and I collapsed against the door frame, turning to glare at the man behind me.

"I warned you," the man said, shrugging. "But you're right. Can't have people thinking I'm sort of kiddy fiddler now, can we?" I watched, my vision blurred, as the man took off his jacket and then tossed it at me, the material resting at my feet. "Put that on."

My breathing was shallow as I reached down to pick it up. I glanced at the man above me through my fringe, knowing that it was now or never. My fingers clutched the soft material of the jacket and I stood to my feet, staring down at it.

I looked once more at the man before me and he gestured for me to put it on, his face twisted downward in impatience.

Gathering all of my Gryffindor courage and foolishness, I acted. I tossed the jacket high into the air. The man's head tilted upward as his eyes followed. And it was that opening that I had been waiting for. With a roar, I charged forward with all of my strength, burying my shoulder into the man's gut.

My would be kidnapper released a grunt of surprise and pain as he crumbled to the ground, the gun falling from his hands when he clutched his stomach. I kicked the gun toward the doorway and spared the man on the ground only a glance before I turned to run towards my room, intent on retrieving my wand.

I cried out in surprise when I was grasped by the ankle, my balance failing me and sending me tumbling awkwardly to the ground. My right wrist bore the brunt of my weight and I howled as I felt it twist. Tears blurred my vision and I prayed that it wasn't broken, but that was the least of my worries.

I glanced behind me and felt a stab of ice lance through my heart. The man stared back at me, but he was missing an eye, the only thing left behind an empty, gnarled socket. His good eye was grey and burrowed into me, the threat of death lurking behind its depths.

"You little shit," the man growled, pulling on my leg. I clawed at the ground with my one good hand, but could find no purchase in the rug, my skin burning as I was dragged across it. Having no other choice, I lashed out with my foot, hearing a sudden crunch as it connected with his nose.

The man reared back with a roar of pain and fury, his hands going to his nose, blood seeping from between his fingers.

I wasted no time in pulling away and dragging myself to my feet, giving the man only the briefest of glances before running into my bedroom and closing the door, making sure to lock it behind me.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" the man bellowed.

A shiver ran down my spine but I ignored it, instead rushing over to retrieve my wand. Once it was clutched in my hand, I stood and faced the door. I drew in a deep breath and held it, my ears straining as I tried to hear movement from outside the doorway.

At first, there was nothing, and then… footsteps. They were heavy and determined, and I felt as if I could track the man with my eyes as he traversed through the hallway. And then… silence as he stopped in front of the door to my room, his shadow visible underneath the door frame.

I lifted my wand and pointed it at the door, prepared to blast the man into oblivion as soon as he opened it.

The doorknob rattled as he tried to force it to no avail.

"Little Harry," the man said in a singsong. "Are you in there…?"

"Go fuck yourself!" I spat out, causing the man on the other end of the door to laugh.

I jumped in surprise when there was a loud bang, the air splitting as something whipped past my head, too fast for me to notice. A hole had appeared in the door, and I could only stare when a cool grey eye peeked in.

"Peek-a-boo."

Two more shots rang out, this time aimed at the doorknob, but I ducked and covered my head all the same. I licked my dry lips, rattled but still prepared to hex the man as soon as he opened the door. He didn't disappoint. The door flew open with the force of a sledgehammer and there the man stood, his foot still halfway in the air.

"Stupefy!"

The red beam of light left my wand and sailed toward him.

"What the fu—?" The man shifted his body sideways, the spell zooming past him to impact harmlessly again the hallway wall. The man turned back towards me, his single eye wide and a question on his lips, but I had already sent another stunner barreling into his direction.

The second spell made contact with the man's face and his head was thrown backwards from the force of it. And then, after teetering for one brief moment, he collapsed backwards, the gun falling from his limp hands.

I released a breath of relief, my limbs suddenly turning to liquid as I sunk to my knees, my breath leaving me in short pants. I ran a hand through my hair which was damp not only from sweat, but with the water from my already forgotten shower. My mind was unable to rationalize everything that had just transpired in what could have only been five minutes.

My eyes once more landed on the unconscious man lying out in the hallway and I realized that I couldn't just leave him there. He was a _criminal_. He had tried to _kidnap_ me. A soft chuckle escaped me when the thought crossed my mind.

I had been living in this world for a week, and already my life was being put in grave danger. My chuckle turned into full blown laughter and I covered my face with both hands, the irony not lost on me. I had hoped that maybe this world would be a safe-haven, a momentary escape away from the hectic life I had lead in the other world. But fate apparently had other plans and would not rest until I was either dead or driven insane.

Once I managed to calm myself, I stood to my feet and headed for the phone, giving the unconscious man a swift kick in the ribs for good measure as I passed him. I found the cordless phone in the living room and dialed 999 before placing the device to my ear.

"_The number you are trying to dial could not be reached."_

I blinked, looking at the phone in confusion before I slapped my head in realization. I wasn't in Britain anymore, so of course their emergency telephone number wouldn't work. I bit my lip and stared down at the phone as I thought.

What was the American emergency number again…? I knew that it had '1' in it somewhere… With a sigh, I tried 919, 991, and then finally 911. When the call went through and I heard a ring, I clutched the phone closer to my ear, my breath held as I waited for someone to pick up.

"911, what is your emergency?" came a female voice.

"Yes! Um, I… My house, um…" My mind was jumbled as I tried to think of a cover story. For some reason, I did not want the woman on the other end of the line to know that I had been the victim of an attempted kidnapping.

"Sir, calm down and tell me what happened."

I did as instructed and drew in a deep breath. "…There was a burglary… at my home…"

"Was anyone injured?"

"No. Well, my wrist, but I don't think it's broken," I said, staring down at said appendage. It was a little sore and red, but I could move it around, although it did sting to do so. "Oh, and the burglar… He's still here…"

"What?" The woman's voice grew sharp in alarm. "Okay. Remain hidden and I'll send help as soon as possible."

"No, no, he's unconscious." I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassed. "I… I managed to knock him out…"

"You—? …Alright. I'll send assistance. What is your location?"

I told her. She confirmed that armed officers would be there shortly and that I should wait outside of the apartment. I peeked into the hallway, just to be certain that my assailant was still unconscious, and was relieved to find him in the same location.

The man had seen me perform magic before I had managed to knock him unconscious. While I was positive that the police would take his ravings as those of a mad man, it was a risk I couldn't take. So, with only the smallest amount of guilt settling like a rock in my stomach, I took out my wand and cast a silent enervate.

The thug's single eye snapped open, his vision circling the room in confusion. "What…? Where…?" That eye found me and I stared down at the man with a frown. "You!"

He lunged for me with both hands, but my wand was already level with his face. "Obliviate!"

There was a bang and a flash of light as the spell took effect. The man's single eye rolled in its socket and he slumped back to the ground. I waited for him to regain lucidity before standing over him to meet his gaze. There was no recognition in his eye.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

I smiled, pleased that the spell had served its purpose. "No one worth remembering," I said before sending the man back into unconsciousness.

Sighing, I glanced down at myself to realize I was still shirtless. There was a nasty rug burn down my front that went from my chest to my stomach, but it only caused a slight discomfort to the touch. I stepped over my would-be kidnapper's body to enter my room, no longer paranoid that the man would wake to seek his vengeance on me.

Once properly dressed, I stood outside of the apartment with my back against the wall while I waited. It wasn't long until I heard the elevator open. Two uniformed police officers stepped out. The last of my tension disappeared.

The officers noticed me and came over. The shorter of the two spoke. "Are you the one who called in about a burglary?"

I nodded.

"Your head…"

"I'm fine," I told the officer who had voiced his concern. "I've had worse, trust me. Just worry about the burglar in there."

The men frowned, but dropped it. They nodded to one another before entering the apartment, their hands hovering over their gun holsters.

A few minutes later, one of the officers exited with the unconscious man from earlier—only this time he was cuffed with his hands behind his back and carried fireman style over the officer's shoulder. I lifted an eyebrow in amusement as the officer passed and the man winked at me before disappearing into the elevator.

A sigh behind me made me turned, and the other officer had exited the apartment as well, shaking his head. "You really did a number on that guy," he said to me.

I shrugged, ducking my shoulders in embarrassment. "He deserved it."

"Oh, no doubt," the officer said, nodding. "What's your name, kid?"

"Harry." I could see the officer waiting on me to give him my last name, but I held his eye and remained silent. The man just gave a slight shake of his head.

"You live here alone? Where are your folks?"

"No, I don't live alone," I said with a frown, my eyes lowering when I thought of Tony and the cover story he had used on people not connected to me. "I'm currently staying with my neighbor. My parents are out of town."

"Can I get a name? I'll call them for you."

I sighed, knowing that it was inevitable. "Tony Stark."

"Tony St—you're staying with Tony Stark? _The _Tony Stark?"

I rolled my eyes, giving the police officer an unimpressed stare. The man coughed and straightened himself. "Yes. I am."

The man gave me a considering look before nodding. He grabbed the walkie-talkie on his chest and conversed into it. I zoned out as I thought of the ramifications that this little fiasco would cause.

I would have preferred to lay low and not make any waves while I was in this world, but I had no doubt in my mind that this would make the six-o'clock news as well as be front page in the newspaper. 'Tony Stark's brave neighbor fights off criminal!' the headlines would read.

And then there would be interviews from reporters who all wanted an exclusive interview from the 'brave hero' himself and intrusive paparazzi who would follow my every move. Not to mention all of the gossip magazines that would speculate on the relationship between Tony Stark and his mysterious neighbors.

My head throbbed and I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I think I need to go lie down…"

"You sure you're okay?" the officer said. "If you need to go to the hospital, I—"

"I'm good, thanks," I interrupted the man. I didn't even wait for him to make his farewells before entering the apartment and shutting the door behind me, the resounding bang sending a spike of pain straight to my head.

I groaned and bounded over to the couch before flopping face first onto it, settling like an anchor at the bottom of the ocean.

Why couldn't my life ever just be simple?

* * *

I didn't sleep, but I did close my eyes and try to block all of the thoughts that were hammering my mind, using what little Snape had taught me about Occlumency to rest my mind.

It was… different, to not have constant thoughts buzzing around in my head. I hadn't realized how I much I thought, how much I analyzed every little action and stressed over every outcome. It was if I had entered a sound-proof paradise, the outside world being blocked away with the closing of a door.

I knew it wouldn't last, so I was content to enjoy the reprieve for as long as I could.

"Harry!"

…And there it went.

Pain split through my head like a guillotine and I hissed, using my uninjured hand to rub at my forehead, right behind my scar where my temple throbbed.

"Down here," I croaked, using more effort than usual to sit up from where I lay on the loveseat. My vision swam from sitting up and I had to close my eyes as the world tilted. When next I opened them, I blinked in surprise to find the concerned face of one Tony Stark before me.

A hand touched my bruised forehead and I flinched backward.

"Jesus, Harry," Tony said, his eyes flickering over the rest of me as he checked me over. I bore the scrutiny without comment. "If I get my hands on the piece of shit that did this…"

I shooed Tony away, appreciating his concern but knowing it was unnecessary. "I'm fine, I—" My eyes flickered toward the open door where Happy stood, the man's face twisted down into a worried frown as he stared at me. Next to him stood a bald-headed man whom I remembered to be Tony's mentor, and I did a double take in surprise.

"Hello again, Harry," Tony's mentor—Obadiah I believed his name had been?—said to me with a muted smile. I nodded towards him, unsure of why he had stopped by. I turned my questioning gaze towards Tony.

"Obadiah was with me when I got the call," the inventor said, catching the look and throwing a glance over his shoulder. "He remembered you from your visit and wanted to make sure you were all right."

I once more turned my attention towards the man and gave him a small smile. "I appreciate your concern, but as you can see, I'm fine."

Obadiah waved a single hand through the air. "It gave me an excuse to get out of that stuffy office. Maybe Tony should get burgled more often…"

I gave the man an amused smile, my opinion of him changing. He seemed to have the same lightheartedness towards matters that Tony did—yet judging by the stare the inventor gave his mentor, that particular trait of his had taken a holiday.

Tony turned back to me, his eyebrows dipped downward. He didn't say anything, but I could feel his worry leaking out to strangle me.

"I'm fine, Tony, seriously. I've had worse." If anything, his frown deepened. I gave a helpless sigh.

"You wouldn't lie about such a serious matter, would you?" Obadiah said, making me tense and turn towards him, the silent question on my face. "If you were hurt, you would know better than to keep it from Tony, who only wants to look out for you, right…?"

That question made me stop short and I couldn't meet the man's eyes. While it was true that I _had _suffered worse injuries and the few bruises I did have would have no lasting effect, I couldn't say with certainty that I wouldn't lie about my well being if it meant getting Tony off my back. I had done it before after all without a moment's hesitation.

Instead of answering, I remained silent and stared at my hands.

"Hey, Harry…" Tony's soft voice broke me from my thoughts and I glanced toward him. He was leaning over me, a frown on his face. "You're looking a little pale… I know you're tired of hearing this, but are you sure you're okay?"

I opened my mouth, intent on telling Tony for the one-hundredth time that I was, however, something stopped me. Tony's brown eyes met mine and I glanced away. Then, with a small sigh, I gave the slightest shake of my head.

Tony seemed to get the message for he stood to his feet and faced the other two men in the room. "Hey, fellas, Harry's not feeling so hot. You don't gotta go home, but you've got to get the hell outta here."

"So courteous," Obadiah said with a dry chuckle. The man shrugged and turned toward the blinking chauffeur beside him. "Happy. I was promised a night of drunken debauchery and naked woman by my old protégé Tony, but it seems he's indisposed. Care to join me instead?"

Happy looked baffled as Obadiah slung an arm around the man's shoulder and escorted him out of the flat.

Once it was just the two of us, Tony walked around the couch and left the room. I waited for the man to return, and once he did, he was carrying a white square container which he placed on the coffee table before me. The red cross on the front of it gave no doubt to what the purposes of the container was.

"I could tell you were holding back as soon as you saw Happy and Obi," Tony said as he plopped down on the love seat beside me and began rummaging through the first aid kit. I raised a single eyebrow. "I assume it has something to do with the bullet holes I saw in your bedroom door…?" Tony paused in his search to glance up at me with a frosted smile.

I winced but held my ground, my fists clenching atop my lap. "I was going to tell you about that eventually."

Tony took out a cotton ball and then next a small bottle with a spray nozzle attached. "About the bullet holes? Or the fact that you were shot at with a gun?" Using the bottle, he sprayed a fine mist atop the ball, coating the air with the smell of alcohol. "Or maybe that you were pistol whipped?"

This time I flinched, my shoulder drooping. "…It wasn't that I was trying to keep it from you…"

Tony turned toward me and gestured for me to do the same. I folded one leg atop the couch and turned my body, stiffing when the cotton ball made contact with my skin. I released a quiet hiss, glaring when Tony smiled at my discomfort.

"What else are you keeping from me?" Tony asked, frowning down at the cotton ball when it came away tinted pink.

I sighed, knowing that at this point it was useless to try to hide anything any longer. "It wasn't a burglar who broke in today… It was a kidnapper."

Tony's entire body stiffened and his hands froze inside of the first aid kit. I stared at the side of his face, almost able to see the cogs in his brain shifting as he thought. "But how would they know you were important to me? No one even knows you're here," Tony said.

I could feel a smile trying to work its way onto my face as warmth flooded my chest. "Maybe someone saw us together," I suggested with a shrug. "Maybe they've always been watching you and saw us interacting outside."

In any other situation, the suggestion would have been ludicrous. But this was not a normal situation and Tony was not a normal man. The thought of someone obsessed stalking him, watching him from a distance for weeks—maybe even months—was not outside of the realm of possibility.

"Maybe," Tony said at last, his voice heavy. He once more returned to motion, pulling a roll of bandages out of the kit. "Either way it's my fault."

"This isn't your fault," I said with a glare.

Tony gave a small laugh. "I left you here alone with no protection."

"I'm not a child," I said with a frown. "Nor do I want to be treated like one because of this incident."

"Look at what he did to you," Tony said, shaking his head.

"You should see the other guy," I said in total seriousness. Tony smiled and I returned it a moment after.

"Any other wounds I should know about?" Tony asked.

Without conscious thought, I touched the back of my head with my free hand. Tony frowned and turned my head with gentle hands. He poked and prodded at the area I had touched and I jumped in pain once he found it.

"That's a pretty big lump, but it doesn't seem like any skin broke," Tony said. "…Don't tell me he shot you too?"

"He shot _at _me, but I don't think he wanted to _kill _me," I said, my eyes narrowing as I thought. "If he did, he could have done so _easily_. But he wanted me to follow him somewhere, which makes me believe he would have preferred if I was alive."

Tony just stared at me. "That makes sense, but that doesn't make it any easier to accept…"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I've had so many run-ins with death... Sometimes I think that when the moment finally comes, I won't be afraid. Not because I'm not afraid to die, but because… I'm just so _used _to always being a hairsbreadth away from it, you know…?"

"You shouldn't have to feel that way," Tony said with a growl. "Not when you're with me. I want to protect you." I opened my mouth to inform Tony, once again, that I didn't need his protection when the man pressed on, rolling his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I know. You're a strong independent woman who don't need no man. I get that."

I raised an eyebrow in silent amusement. "Strong independent woman…?"

"Doesn't matter, the point is: I _know _you can take care of yourself. You've proven it. But no matter how strong you are, you're still just a kid."

I scowled. "So what then, you want to lock me away in some tower so I'll always be safe?" The Dursleys and even Dumbledore had done that to a certain extent. Locked me away so that I wouldn't be exposed to the 'dangers' of the world—or the world wouldn't be exposed to the dangers of me, as it were in the Dursleys' case.

"No," the man said, raising an eyebrow. "First of all, I don't have a tower, but I do like the idea, second of all—well, there is no second, but these things seem to just work better when there's more than one point, you know?" I stared, pleading for the man to get back to the topic at hand. "Anyway, no, I was thinking of something simpler, like a bodyguard."

"A bodyguard…? You mean Happy?"

"No, Happy is _my _bodyguard. Not only that, he's my chauffeur. He wouldn't be able to protect you twenty-four seven. I was thinking more along the lines of hiring you your own personal bodyguard."

I frowned but didn't dismiss the idea outright. "Don't you think that's a little overkill? What type of trouble do you think we'll face in California…?"

"Hopefully none," Tony said. "And the security in my LA apartment is one-hundred times what this place has… Actually, I should probably look into improving this place a bit more. It's rather drab…"

I ignored Tony's rambling, now used to how the man sometimes went on tangents. The curse of brilliance perhaps, there were too many thoughts running in his head to contain. "So I _don't _need a bodyguard?" I asked to clarify, tilting my head.

Tony frowned for a moment before sighing. "…No. I guess you won't." I nodded, secretly relieved. "However," the man continued, staring at me with serious eyes, "if there is any sort of trouble in California, we're getting you a full time bodyguard, alright?"

I wasn't pleased, but I knew I had to compromise or Tony would never let the issue drop. So, I nodded.

"And a cell phone," Tony added, nodding. "You need one."

"Those small phones everyone use?" I asked. Tony nodded.

"Every kid needs one in this day and age."

I shrugged, not opposed to owning one if Tony thought it best.

"Shake on it," he said, extending his hand. I stared at the extended limb before sighing and doing as requested. We shook hands, quick and firm. At that moment, I was glad that Unbreakable Vows didn't exist, for trouble followed me like a magnet, and this was one promise I didn't know I could keep.

Tony shook his head, satisfied. However, a cloud passed over his face and he hummed. "…That still leaves the news reports, for there will be one, without a doubt. And if one person knowing about you got you into this much trouble, I don't even want to think about the rest of the city, much less the world."

A jolt ran through me as Tony voiced my fears. I bit my lip and folded my hands. "Can't you… can't you do something? To keep me out of it?" I asked, my voice low and strained. "I don't…" I shook my head, pleading with my eyes for him to understand how much I did not want to be the center of the public's attention.

Tony met my gaze as he finished treating the wound on my forehead, something in his own eyes softening. "You're already in the police reports," Tony said. "The news will report the story of a teenage boy fending off a burglar no matter what we do." My shoulders slumped in defeat. "However," Tony continued, grinning when my eyes once more snapped to him, "they aren't obligated to release your name or your connection to me."

"Not obligated," I repeated with a frown, thinking of a certain reporter with a quill the color of poison "That doesn't mean they won't."

"You're right, it doesn't. But, you forget who I am," Tony said with a sly smile. "I have friends in high places—enemies as well, but that's beside the point. When you garner a reputation like mine, when what's written about you during an important business venture can make or break you, you learn to keep a few people in your back pocket."

"So... you have a contact with the media who can keep my name and your involvement out of it?" I asked, voice hopeful.

Tony chuckled. "More or less."

It was as if a great weight was lifted from my shoulders and I smiled so hard my cheeks stung. "Thanks, Tony."

The man seemed stunned for a moment, but then he shook his head and shrugged. "Don't mention it, kid. …Though, it's probably best if we get the hell out of Dodge."

"Dodge…?"

"It's from—never mind. I meant that it's probably best if we don't stick around."

That I understood and I frowned. "We're leaving?"

Tony shrugged. "Yeah. I was only going to be here until my business was finished, but I was itching for a reason to leave early anyway. Don't worry," Tony continued seeing the look I gave him, "Obadiah should be able to handle the rest."

I was hesitant but nodded.

…California. If I had experienced this much excitement in one week while in New York, I did not even want to contemplate the trouble I would find in the remaining months there.


End file.
